UW Fresh Start (No. 73): Time for Rosengarten to Plant Himself in Starting Lineup

The big tackle has made steady progress since joining the Huskies.

Dan Raley | Apr 2, 2022

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Washington Huskies

Roger Rosengarten wears a jersey one digit higher this season and packs nine more pounds over a year's time.

If he has another upward move in him, it would climbing one more rung on the University of Washington depth chart and becoming a starter on the Husky offensive line.

It could happen at anytime for the 6-foot-6, 294-pound Rosengarten, who's been one step ahead of the four other offensive lineman he arrived with in a highly regarded group of nimble yet meaty players.

In 2020, the Huskies signed an entire line for the future all at once rather than put one together piecemeal over a couple of years.

For two seasons now, they've tried to keep Myles Murao, Geirean Hatchett, Gaard Memmelaar, Samuel Peacock and Rosengarten lumped together in practice and collectively learning the college game, but the latter player keeps inching away from his peers.

Rosengarten from Highland Park, Colorado, is the only one of this touted quintet to play in a UW game so far, sent out against Arizona as a true freshman and four more times last season as a redshirt freshman against Montana, Michigan, Colorado and Washington State.

Nearly every major Power 5 football program in the country tried to sign this guy who grew up in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains with Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami, Penn State and USC making a bid for him, so it would seem it's time to use him in a more concentrated manner.

When spring practice began on Wednesday, Rosengarten lined up as the No. 2 right tackle behind 6-foot-6, 295-pound junior Matteo Mele, who's just a pound heavier than him and maybe not much more than a pancake block better them him as the starter at the moment.

The new staff likes Rosengarten for his versatility, for his ability to play on either side of the line.

"It starts with athleticism," UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "I think he's a guy who moves real well. When you can flex in and out of a right- and left-handed stance, you can see those guys pretty quickly."

Roger Rosengarten wears all sorts of pads to 2021 spring practice.

Rosengarten puts in his offseason weight work.

Rosengarten walks the sideline at Oregon State.

Roger Rosengarten leaves the field after losing to Washington State.

Roger Rosengarten runs out for the 2021 spring game.

With a month of workouts under way, we're offering intel and observations gathered on the UW football personnel in a series of stories on every returning scholarship player from No. 0 to 99. We'll review each Husky's previous starting experience, if applicable, and determine what comes next under new coach Kalen DeBoer.

As is the case with any coaching change, it's a new football beginning for everyone, including the Huskies' No. 73 and formerly 72.

DeBoer and his staff have made reinvigorating the Husky offensive line a priority in order to unleash their high-octane attack. The guys up front were a disappointment last season, caught up in a poorly constructed offensive plan that cost offensive coordinator John Donovan his job before the season ended and helped lead to the demise of coach Jimmy Lake in-season, as well.

The new coaches already have traded around a few veteran linemen, such as moving Victor Curne, a two-year starting right tackle, to right guard, and putting Julius Buelow, a five-game starter at left guard, to No. 2 left tackle.

The beauty of Rosengarten is he can fit in anywhere. He's so athletic for a big man he could play any one of the five spots up front. The Huskies, however, have rotated him only between left and right tackle.

Moving him from side to side is fine, but it might be time to move him up.

UW Starter or Not: When it's time, Rosengarten likely will be the next great UW offensive lineman, similar to the much decorated Jaxson Kirkland or Nick Harris in recent seasons. His progression has been steady. It's also a race among him and some of his Fab Five cohorts such as Hatchett and Myles to see who starts first for the Huskies. Don't be surprised if Rosengarten turns up in the opening lineup for the opener against Kent State on Sept. 4.

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Published Apr 2, 2022

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.