Husky Roster Review: DeGraaf Debut Went Well, Met All Spring Demands

The freshman tight end makes positive impression in intro to Montlake football.

Decker DeGraaf gets free to make a spring practice catch. / Skylar Lin Visuals

When new coach Jedd Fisch and his football staff arrived at the University of Washington, they passed tight ends Devin Culp and Jack Westover going out the door in Montlake, headed for NFL careers.

All of a sudden, the UW needed to scramble and replenish a position traditionally overloaded with pro prospects.

With reserve tight ends Quentin Moore and Ryan Otton returning with limited or almost no game snaps, Fisch's coaches went to work and picked up four additional players: by receiving 2025 tight-end commitments from 4-star recruits Vander Ploog and Baron Naone, this after signing Charlie Crowell for Arizona and later the UW for 2024.

The new staff also encouraged Kalen DeBoer signee Decker DeGraaf to stay the course with the Huskies.

DeGraaf, in fact, enrolled early and reported for spring football practice, sort of felt his way around initially and seemed to grow much more confident and catch everything thrown his way by the time 15 workouts were concluded.

Decker DeGraaf was an early enrollee and played well in spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

After accompanying the Huskies to the CFP national championship game in Houston in early January as a spectator, DeGraff reaffirmed he would play for Fisch and dove into winter conditioning.

At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, DeGraaf seems farther along physically than most UW freshman tight ends who enter the program, maybe needing just another 10 pounds on his frame to be in peak condition. He continually ran smooth routes over the middle and demonstrated reliable hands. He took snaps with the No. 1 offense for the first time during the 12th practice..

With his solid stature and smooth transition to college ball, he almost resembled a young Westover. Now if this newcomer from San Dimas, California, can block anything like Westover, he will find plenty of playing time awaiting him, even as a true freshman.

DeGraaf, after a successful UW debut, could find himself in big demand someday.

Decker DeGraaf heads upfield with a catch in spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

DECKER DEGRAAF FILE

What he's done: DeGraaf comes off a senior season at Glendora High School in Southern California in which he caught 57 passes for 993 yards and 11 touchdowns over 11 games, numbers that made him the Citrus League Offensive MVP. He was talented enough to also take his turn as an edge rusher, coming up with 65 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Starter or not: The departed Culp and Westover redshirted as UW freshman, but DeGraaf is off to such a promising start he might play right away in the tight-end rotation. That's something only Mark Redman, now at Louisville, has done as a Husky freshman in recent seasons. Besides Moore and Otton, DeGraaf also will have to contend with Nevada transfer Keleki Latu for playing time.

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