Hunter Draws Blank in Husky Opener, But Fisch Says Don't Worry

The California transfer was coming off 63- and 60-catch seasons.

Jeremiah Hunter had no catches against Weber State. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Jeremiah Hunter caught a pass in 23 of his final 24 California games, getting shut out only in a midseason visit to Utah last October. He left Berkeley with 63 and 60 receptions in each of the past two seasons, 144 for his career.

He transferred to the University of Washington to join a pro-style offense, to better showcase his talents for a possible NFL career, to increase his pro stock.

So what happens?

Hunter posts a goose egg in his first outing. Zero. Nada. He walked away from the Huskies' 35-3 season-opening victory logging no catches.

While 10 balls were thrown to Giles Jackson, each resulting in a catch, and 9 went to Denzel Boston, with 6 ending up in his hands, Hunter had just two targets and nothing to show for it.

UW coach Jedd Fisch, however, cautioned against reading anything into that outcome, that it's early, that it was an anomaly.

"There's opportunities for him to get the ball," he said. "Maybe they didn't come this time. Maybe they'll come next time. Maybe next week there'll be 8 targets to Jeremiah."

Still, it was a weird happenstance. The 6-foot, 212-pound Hunter, so physical and confident in what he does, currently might be the Huskies' top NFL prospect at wide receiver.

Yet a no-catch day happens to the best of them. Even to the UW's terrific trio of pass-catchers last season.

Jalen McMillan caught a pass in all 13 games in 2022, four times reaching as many as 8 catches. Yet a year ago, he hurt a knee and went catch-less in four of his 11 outings, gimpy and not quite right in those opportunities.

After coming up with a reception in each of his first 26 Husky games, Ja'Lynn Polk inexplicably had consecutive outings with no catches against Oregon State and Washington State to close out the regular season last year.

Even Rome Odunze twice went without a catch in games as a freshman before hauling in at least one ball in each of his final 37 UW outings.

For that matter, none of the aforementioned Husky stalwarts had more than 9 catches in a game in their careers, and here comes Jackson, who turned in a 10-reception outing against Weber State without them -- the most for a UW receiver since Dante Pettis had 12 in a 2017 outing.

"It'll happen, it'll come," Fisch said of Hunter. "Jeremiah is a great player and we love our wide receivers and I expect them all to benefit."

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