2024 Husky QB situation

[D-train]

Great that Mack has already got a lot of work in.

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1770433/ ... ll-rogers/

[Michael K.]

A buddy of mine, who shares my opinion of Morris' ability to play QB at the Pac 12 level, texted me the other day when Morris entered. My response was that it means two things. One we already knew about. A pretty big name is more than likely going to transfer in, and I told him I liked the kid that Leach coached at MSU. But two? That I think that is a real good sign for the growth of Mack. I remember when we were all lamenting what happens when a kid that age gets here, how scrawny he was going to be. If he looks like Cam? Dude isn't scrawny.

[D-train]

6 ' 6" 235lbs!!! Damn! Can't wait.

If Rogers transfers I assume he will start. I doubt he transfers here unless they promise him the QB1???

[Michael K.]

Best case scenario would be that he is able to jump right in and give Mack one more year. Then Mack dominates. But? A lot of these guys are playing right away, so maybe Mack will be ready, and will be the best option.

[D-train]

This guy is a weirdo but here are some highlights.

https://www.google.com/search?q=austin+ ... z293o,st:0

[Seattle or Bust]

I like Mack's intangibles... he's a got strong arm, he faces pressure well, he knows how to create with the pass when the play isn't there. He's got sort of a weird throwing motion though and in his highlights he really only throws 3 main routes at one height and speed.

I watched him warm up for like 45 mins at the Oregon game. It's sort of a side-arm, looping motion and the ball kinda spins on angled plane when he's not throwing rockets. I wonder if he's going to struggle with touch passes because the ball doesn't seem to carry well at that angle... he threw a number of fades to the corner of the end zone in warm ups and struggled underthrowing them.

[D-train]

By Mike Vorel
Seattle Times staff reporter
Dylan Morris entered the transfer portal Monday.

On Wednesday, he visited Marshall.

And yet, the junior quarterback and Puyallup product remains — for now — a member of the Husky football program. While most players who plunge into the portal are immediately removed from their current rosters, Morris will be allowed to participate in the College Football Playoff.

There’s an overwhelming reason why.

“First of all, trust,” UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Thursday. “I think a lot of people don’t want to do those things [keep transfers on their bowl rosters] because they wouldn’t trust the guy in the locker room to be saying the right things, doing the right things. Really, you wouldn’t be trusting them to prepare for a game.

“I have absolute trust — the team has absolute trust — in D-Mo, that all he’s going to do is prepare. He’s going to do an awesome job getting ready for the game. Everybody here supports D-Mo. He’s ready to make this step on his next journey, but not until after the season. He was really, really clear about that.”

Morris — a fifth-year junior and former starter — has obviously earned that faith. The former four-star recruit signed with Washington in 2019 and started 15 of 16 games in 2020 and 2021, completing 60.7% of his passes while throwing for 3,355 yards with 23 total touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He lost a quarterback competition to Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. in 2022, and provided selfless leadership over the next two seasons.

So much so, that Penix — the runner-up for the 2023 Heisman Trophy — posted on Instagram Monday: “I appreciate the countless hours you put in to help us become the team that we’ve been the past 2 years. Your work ethic and love for this team are unrivaled. Excited for you and thank you for always being there to celebrate and lift me up bro! Always love.”

Of course, there were compelling reasons for the 6-foot, 197-pound quarterback to stay. Morris said last winter that “my dream of wanting to be a Husky my whole life is definitely something [real]. I want to end my time here and also pursue [a career] with this coaching tree, and try to be learning from underneath Grubb and the rest of the coaches for the career after football. So I’m really trying to set myself up for that.”

But, with a single season of remaining eligibility … he also wants to play.

“Honestly, he didn’t want to go in the portal,” Grubb said. “There were a lot of quarterbacks that were getting placed and D-Mo was kind of getting passed up. So really we just had a discussion. I didn’t want D-Mo being a good guy to hold him up from getting an opportunity somewhere. So he came in, talked, did everything the right way, and we were super excited about that. He’s on a visit right now. He’ll be back when it’s [a recruiting dead period] and we’re prepping for Texas. He’s all good and he’ll be ready to go. He’s a special kid.”

But when Penix leaves, and Morris leaves, will Washington be ready? At football’s most important position, who will take the reins?

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UW is currently slated to have three scholarship quarterbacks in 2024: junior William Haskell, redshirt freshman Austin Mack and true freshman Dermaricus Davis. And while the Huskies are particularly high on Mack — who bypassed his senior season at Folsom (Calif.) High to enroll at UW in 2023 — the 17-year-old could use another season of seasoning.

Which brings us to outside options.

Thus far, UW has reportedly targeted two quarterbacks in the transfer portal: Mississippi State senior Will Rogers and Texas redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy.

Rogers — a 6-2, 215-pound prospect from Brandon, Miss. — has compiled quite a résumé. Operating primarily in Mike Leach’s air raid offense, he set SEC records for single-season (505 in 2021) and career completions (1,301). A four-year starter, Rogers owns Mississippi State records for career passing yards (12,315) and passing touchdowns (94) as well.

Granted, Rogers struggled somewhat in 2023 — completing just 60% of his passes and throwing for 1,626 yards with 13 total touchdowns and four interceptions, while missing four games with a shoulder injury. He was also asked to excel in an unfamiliar system, under a first-year coach (Zach Arnett) who was promptly fired after just 10 games.

But for fans skeptical of Rogers’ recent production, recall Penix’s final season at Indiana in 2021:

Five games, 53.7% completions, 939 passing yards, 6 total TD, 7 INT

Penix, of course, completed 66% of his passes and threw for 8,859 yards with 71 total touchdowns and 17 interceptions over the next two seasons.

While winning in multiple ways.

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers (2) readies to pass against Western Michigan during second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Starkville, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis / AP)

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers (2) readies to pass against Western Michigan during second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Starkville, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis / AP)
“Those are guys [Mack and Davis] we’re really excited to be part of the program, but they lack experience,” Grubb said. “So I think the first quality [we’re looking for in a transfer QB] is a guy that has some experience, and then he has to be a fit. The culture piece is huge.

“Mike came in here and made this place better than when he found it. He did that through growing as a leader and as a person. Shoot, today he was just in there and we didn’t have a good practice on offense, and some of the guys I think were a little bit absent-minded on practice. Coaches didn’t have to say anything. Mike kept the offense afterward and got after ‘em, like, ‘What are we chasing? Every practice matters. Every lift matters.’

“So that’s the thing you have to have from a guy coming in from a leadership standpoint, someone that can fall in line with that and try to pick up where Mike left off. They’re not going to be Mike. They have to be their own person. But experience and leadership I think are two key parts.”

And a letter of recommendation.

“Will … man, that’s a leader. He knows how to lead,” said UW junior running back Dillon Johnson, who played with Rogers from 2020 to 2022. “He was our leader when I was at Mississippi State, and he still is a leader.”

But while Rogers has the statistics, Murphy may have the higher ceiling. The 6-5, 238-pound passer was ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 9 quarterback and the No. 197 overall recruit by 247Sports when he signed with Texas in the 2022 class. After redshirting, he completed 56.3% of his passes and threw for 477 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in seven games as Quinn Ewers’ backup this fall.