Michigan will look to avenge one of its losses from last season when it hosts Washington at the Big House this October. Here’s a look at what the Huskies have been up to this offseason and what their outlook may be for 2025:
Coincidentally, this fall’s matchup will represent the fourth time Michigan and Washington will have played each other in the last five seasons. The most famous of these matchups was the National Championship. However, the Huskies got their revenge by defeating Michigan in Seattle last year during their inaugural Big Ten season.
Michigan will get a chance to return to its winning ways this year, as the programs will face off once again, this time at the Big House. Ahead of the game, we take a brief look at what the Washington program has been up to this offseason and what to expect in this year’s matchup.
The Basics
Game information: Saturday, Oct. 18 (Time TBD), Michigan Stadium
2024 record: 6-7
2025 projected wins: 7.5 (per FanDuel )
Last meeting: 2024, Washington won 27-17
Roster Moves
Draft Losses: QB Will Rogers, WR Jeremiah Hunter, TE Keleki Latu, DT Sebastian Valdez, LB Carson Bruener
Notable portal losses: WR Jason Robinson, IOL Gaard Memmelaar, LB Khmori House, LB Byrun Parham, LB Jayden Wayne, CB Thaddeus Dixon, CB Jordan Shaw, CB Caleb Presley, CB Elijah Jackson, S Peyton Waters
Notable portal additions: QB Kai Horton, WR Omari Evans, OT Carver Willis, IOL Geirean Hatchett, DE Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, DT Anterio Thompson, LB Taariq Al-Uqdah, LB Xe’ree Alexander, CB Tacario Davis, S C.J. Christian, S Alex McLaughlin
State of the Program
Much like Michigan, the Washington program took a step back after its National Championship appearance. The Huskies went from 14-1 in 2023 to 6-7 in 2024, and the reasons for doing so might sound familiar — the program brought in a new coaching staff and lost several starters on both sides of the ball.
So much turnover made it difficult for Washington to find its footing in its first season in the Big Ten, but Year 2 of the Jedd Fisch era has the chance to be a bit more promising, even after losing plenty of players to the portal.
Washington countered those portal losses by bringing in new players. Much of the additions were focussed on defense, with new starters coming in at all three levels. Arguably the biggest addition Washington made was with former Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis. He’ll be supplemented by safety additions Alex McLaughlin and C.J. Christian, while also playing alongside another talented corner in Ephesians Prysock.
Washington also added some help along the defensive line with edge Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and tackle in Anterio Thompson. Both players bring a ton of experience, which will be needed as the Huskies are trying to replace the production of defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez and don’t have much starting experience elsewhere on the line.
Switching gears to the offense, the Huskies boast good skill players that should help put points on the board. Michigan fans might remember Washington’s receiver group causing havoc in last year’s matchup, especially Denzel Boston, who’s back for another year. Omari Evans was also brought in after securing 21 receptions for 415 yards at Penn State last year.
Throwing them the ball this year will be talented sophomore Demond Williams. He is pretty undersized at 5-foot-11, but he makes up for it with his mobility and electric style of play. The Huskies featured him in run packages last year, but he’ll get the chance to do much more with complete control of the offense. In his relatively small sample size as a passer (105 attempts) he impressed with 944 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception and a 78.1 completion percentage.
The star of Washington’s offense is running back Jonah Coleman, a bruiser at 229 pounds. He registered 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago, making him one of the conference’s best returning running backs.
Washington appears to be a program that can take a step forward in the Big Ten in 2025, much like Michigan. We can’t wait to see what it looks like when these teams take the field against each other in a fight to return to their former dominant ways.