The struggles of the current season would be easier to take (for me) if it felt like the program was building to something better. I do not have much optimism for that right now. In fact, it feels like it is headed towards more seasons like this. There does not seem to be any aspect of the program that is trending up.
Coaching: I assume JL will get the full time job. His defenses have mostly been excellent but this year's defensive struggles are on him, especially as a talent evaluator / recruiter. That alone is concerning. He may also need to re-make a large portion of the staff, which causes more disruption and rebuilding.
Defense: where are any young studs ready to become the next key players? DL I do not see any. LB was supposed to be loaded but nobody has flashed much, other than maybe Chaney. Wohler / Brown could be the guys at S but we don't know yet. At CB its supposed to be Hallman, we saw how that looked on Sat. You need a lot more than a couple guys who you think can be difference makers. There is a lack of speed and size across the board. JL's inability to land better DBs in particular is not a great sign.
Offense: I'm not sure Burkett is talented enough to be a big time QB. There's no other young QB options on the roster and they missed on so many recruits. Running back recruiting has been a problem too. UW needs stud RBs with speed to create explosive plays. I'm not sure Keyes or White are that guy. TEs are always injured and no next great TE is jumping out. WR there is some young talent, but Markus Allen leaving is another loss. OL poor play is the worst part. Seems quite possible Bostad will not be able to match what he did in his first stint as OL coach. Maybe defensive schemes and fronts have just gotten too good.
Recruiting: the last two classes have been very weak and will create more holes on the roster in the next few years. They finally have a recruiting staff in place, but who knows how long MT will want to stay in that position.
Transfer Portal: you can add guys for next year, but how effective is it for team building? Especially at a place like UW that needs to develop players in a system. And how much can you rely on it? Jay Shaw was a 2nd team all Pac-12 and Dort and Clark are experienced guys, but none have helped much.
Transfers Out: I'd expect more attrition, probably from some key young guys they do not want to lose. Guys will probably leave to get NIL deals elsewhere.
NIL: UW won't allow the Varsity Collective to use NIL for recruiting packages. This just sets UW more behind.
Scheduling: will only get harder. The end of the West Division and adding UCLA and USC means fewer games against opponents that UW nearly always beats on their way to 8-9 win seasons. UW will be just good enough to get matched up against the best teams in the B1G for TV.
Coaching: I assume JL will get the full time job. His defenses have mostly been excellent but this year's defensive struggles are on him, especially as a talent evaluator / recruiter. That alone is concerning. He may also need to re-make a large portion of the staff, which causes more disruption and rebuilding.
Defense: where are any young studs ready to become the next key players? DL I do not see any. LB was supposed to be loaded but nobody has flashed much, other than maybe Chaney. Wohler / Brown could be the guys at S but we don't know yet. At CB its supposed to be Hallman, we saw how that looked on Sat. You need a lot more than a couple guys who you think can be difference makers. There is a lack of speed and size across the board. JL's inability to land better DBs in particular is not a great sign.
Offense: I'm not sure Burkett is talented enough to be a big time QB. There's no other young QB options on the roster and they missed on so many recruits. Running back recruiting has been a problem too. UW needs stud RBs with speed to create explosive plays. I'm not sure Keyes or White are that guy. TEs are always injured and no next great TE is jumping out. WR there is some young talent, but Markus Allen leaving is another loss. OL poor play is the worst part. Seems quite possible Bostad will not be able to match what he did in his first stint as OL coach. Maybe defensive schemes and fronts have just gotten too good.
Recruiting: the last two classes have been very weak and will create more holes on the roster in the next few years. They finally have a recruiting staff in place, but who knows how long MT will want to stay in that position.
Transfer Portal: you can add guys for next year, but how effective is it for team building? Especially at a place like UW that needs to develop players in a system. And how much can you rely on it? Jay Shaw was a 2nd team all Pac-12 and Dort and Clark are experienced guys, but none have helped much.
Transfers Out: I'd expect more attrition, probably from some key young guys they do not want to lose. Guys will probably leave to get NIL deals elsewhere.
NIL: UW won't allow the Varsity Collective to use NIL for recruiting packages. This just sets UW more behind.
Scheduling: will only get harder. The end of the West Division and adding UCLA and USC means fewer games against opponents that UW nearly always beats on their way to 8-9 win seasons. UW will be just good enough to get matched up against the best teams in the B1G for TV.
