Huskies Will Face Mark Redman, Once Their TE of the Future

The California native has gone from the UW to San Diego State to Louisville.

Louisville tight end Mark Redman, the former Husky, scores a touchdown against Jacksonville State. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

EL PASO, Texas -- Mark Redman once was considered the University of Washington's tight end of the future, playing right away as a true freshman in 2020, even moving ahead of a pair of older teammates at that position in Devin Culp and Jack Westover, now in the NFL.

Yet on Tuesday, he will play the final game of his college football career against the Huskies, lining up against them for Louisville in the Sun Bowl, leaving everyone in Montlake to ponder what might have been.

Redman remains every bit as good as people envisioned him. For the 8-4 Cardinals, he started every game during the regular season except one.

While he's caught a somewhat modest 23 passes for 239 yards and 3 scores, receiving is not his best attribute, but the UW knows that.

Going back to his Husky days, the 6-foot-6, 256-pound product of Newport Beach, California, has shown himself to be a highly reliable blocker.

"Without him, we definitely would not be able to run the ball as effectively as we can," Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. "He does a great job and has just been a really good addition to our team."

Redman came to the Huskies in sort of a package deal, arriving from Corona Del Mar High School with his quarterback Ethan Garbers, both originally recruited by Chris Petersen's staff but signed by Jimmy Lake's coaches.

Mark Redman (81) celebrates a touchdown with UW teammates Devin Culp (83), Sean McGrew (5) and Jaxson Kirkland in 2021. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Garbers would bail on the Huskies after one season with Lake, transferring to UCLA. Redman would follow him out the door a year later once Lake got fired, expressing concern that the UW would de-emphasize the tight end position with Kalen DeBoer's high-powered offense coming in, though he was wrong about that..

He left the Huskies after appearing in all 16 games held during the COVID pandemic and its aftermath, ironically leaving without a Husky reception yet no less respect from everyone who knew him.

For two seasons, Redman played for San Diego State, not far from home, and he caught 38 passes for 408 yards and 3 scores in 2023.

Arriving two years ago as the Louisville coach, Brohm said tight end was one of his team's thinnest positions until Redman came on board.

"Really good blocker, great teammate, never complained," the Cardinals coach said. "At one point, he's made some good catches for us. Been consistent every week."

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