Washington Football: Top 3 way-too-early breakout candidates for 2022

Washington football had a disappointing season in 2021. Who are some breakout candidates for the Huskies to help them turn things around?

After Chris Petersen retired from coaching college football when the 2019 season concluded, his hand-picked successor Jimmy Lake, seemed like a natural fit to keep the program on top. Lake did not make it two full seasons before he was let go and now Washington football seems to be hitting the reset button as a program.

Fresno State head coach Kalen DeBoer was hired to help fix the offensive woes that the program had been suffering under Lake. While the defense remained excellent, the offense was one of the worst in the Pac-12 and in the country. That is simply not going to get it done in Seattle and DeBoer is hoping for a quick turnaround.

To have a quick turnaround, Washington is going to have to replace some guys on defense that have left for the NFL and they are going to have to figure out the quarterback position. It has not seemed like Washington has had a lack of skilled talent on offense, but the quarterback play has been nothing short of atrocious.

This could be a rough first season for DeBoer. He has been a winner everywhere that he is gone, but Washington lost their best players to the NFL and Lake did a poor job in recruiting to help fill that void. Odds are that he is the right coach for Washington, but this rebuild might take longer than one anticipates. To have a better-than-expected season in 2022, there are going to have to be some breakout players emerging.

Here are the way-too-early breakout candidates for Washington Football in 2022.