CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2023 Washington

14–⁠1 (9–⁠0 Pac-12), coached by Kalen DeBoer, finished No. 2 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Washington in 2023, game by game: won vs. Boise State 56–19; won vs. Tulsa 43–10; won at Michigan State 41–7; won vs. California 59–32; won at Arizona 31–24; won vs. No. 8 Oregon 36–33; won vs. Arizona State 15–7; won at Stanford 42–33; won at No. 24 USC 52–42; won vs. No. 13 Utah 35–28; won at No. 10 Oregon State 22–20; won vs. Washington State 24–21; won vs. No. 5 Oregon 34–31; won vs. No. 3 Texas 37–31; lost vs. No. 1 Michigan 13–34+37−21Won 56–19 vs. Boise State+37Boise StateWon 43–10 vs. Tulsa+33TulsaWon 41–7 at Michigan State+34Michigan StateWon 59–32 vs. California+27CaliforniaWon 31–24 at Arizona+7ArizonaWon 36–33 vs. No. 8 Oregon+3No. 8 OregonWon 15–7 vs. Arizona State+8Arizona StateWon 42–33 at Stanford+9StanfordWon 52–42 at No. 24 USC+10No. 24 USCWon 35–28 vs. No. 13 Utah+7No. 13 UtahWon 22–20 at No. 10 Oregon State+2No. 10 Oregon StateWon 24–21 vs. Washington State+3Washington StateWon 34–31 vs. No. 5 Oregon+3No. 5 OregonWon 37–31 vs. No. 3 Texas+6No. 3 TexasLost 13–34 vs. No. 1 Michigan-21No. 1 Michigan
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsBoise StateW 56–⁠1961%
Sep 9vsTulsaW 43–⁠1076%
Sep 16atMichigan StateW 41–⁠756%
Sep 23vsCaliforniaW 59–⁠3280%
Sep 30atArizonaW 31–⁠2472%
Oct 14vs8OregonW 36–⁠3361%
Oct 21vsArizona StateW 15–⁠790%
Oct 28atStanfordW 42–⁠3384%
Nov 4at24USCW 52–⁠4255%
Nov 11vs13UtahW 35–⁠2870%
Nov 18at10Oregon StateW 22–⁠2051%
Nov 25vsWashington StateW 24–⁠2189%
Dec 1vs5OregonPac-12 ChampionshipW 34–⁠3149%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs3TexasSugar Bowl, CFP SemifinalW 37–⁠3150%
Jan 8Bowls & playoffvs1MichiganCFP National ChampionshipL 13–⁠3438%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Michigan 34–⁠13 in the CFP National Championship; No. 2 in the final AP poll; Pac-12 champions.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 112 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 10
  2. Wk 2: 8
  3. Wk 3: 8
  4. Wk 4: 8
  5. Wk 5: 7
  6. Wk 6: 7
  7. Wk 7: 7
  8. Wk 8: 5
  9. Wk 9: 5
  10. Wk 10: 5
  11. Wk 11: 5
  12. Wk 12: 5
  13. Wk 13: 4
  14. Wk 14: 3
  15. Wk 15: 2
  16. Final: 2

Pac-12 champions9–⁠0 in the conference

Heisman voteMichael Penix Jr., second

Led the nationMichael Penix Jr.: passing yards (4,904 yds); Rome Odunze: receiving yards (1,640 yds)

Maxwell AwardMichael Penix Jr., QB

Consensus All-AmericanRome Odunze, WR

Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearKalen DeBoer, coach; also the Walter Camp Coach

Record
14–⁠1
Conference
9–⁠0 first in Pac-12
AP final
No. 2 peak No. 2
Points
540–⁠372
Coach
Kalen DeBoer
Elo
1779 +175 this season
SP+ rating
16.4 No. 13 of 133; offense No. 5, defense No. 49, special teams No. 45
SRS
16.3 No. 14 of 133 in FBS
Returning
89% of last season’s EPA, No. 7 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 26 roster talent No. 26 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Ryan Grubb
Defensive coordinators
William Inge and Chuck Morrell
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense7th of 133
  • Defense64th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted6th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted39th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2851%1.247th of 133
Defense0.1045%1.1964th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.28 off
0.06 def		51% off
42% def		—6th off
39th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.6own 3112% allowed
Defense4.0own 2516% caused

CORE rating 19.9, 10th of 133 (offense 14.0, defense -5.9).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsMichael Penix Jr. QB4,903 yds
Passing touchdownsMichael Penix Jr. QB36 TD
Rushing yardsDillon Johnson RB1,195 yds
Rushing touchdownsDillon Johnson RB16 TD
Receiving yardsRome Odunze WR1,640 yds
Receiving touchdownsRome Odunze WR13 TD
TacklesDominique Hampton CB98 tkl
SacksBralen Trice DE6.5 sacks
InterceptionsJabbar Muhammad DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Austin Mack QB★★★★No. 215
Caleb Presley CB★★★★No. 217
Taeshaun Lyons WR★★★★No. 229
Curley Reed III CB★★★★No. 250
Vincent Holmes ATH★★★★No. 305
Rashid Williams WR★★★★No. 320
Elishah Jackett OT★★★★No. 431
Landen Hatchett OL★★★★No. 441

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks14.00.920
Running backs13.00.873
Receivers43.30.863
Offensive line73.10.847
Defensive line52.80.837
Linebackers32.70.833
Defensive backs43.50.893
Athletes and specialists23.00.842
Whole class273.10.856

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2024

The 2024 draft
Rd 1Michael Penix Jr. QBAtlanta Falcons
Rd 1Rome Odunze WRChicago Bears
Rd 1Troy Fautanu OGPittsburgh Steelers
Rd 2Ja’Lynn Polk WRNew England Patriots
Rd 2Roger Rosengarten OTBaltimore Ravens
Rd 3Bralen Trice DEAtlanta Falcons
Rd 3Jalen McMillan WRTampa Bay Buccaneers
Rd 5Edefuan Ulofoshio LBBuffalo Bills
Rd 5Dominique Hampton SWashington Commanders
Rd 7Devin Culp TETampa Bay Buccaneers

Roster 119

The 2023 roster

119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 10

The 2023 portal
Dillon Johnson RB★★★★from Mississippi State
Germie Bernard WR★★★★from Michigan State
Jabbar Muhammad CB★★★★from Oklahoma State
Josh Cuevas TE★★★★from Cal Poly
Daniyel Ngata RB★★★from Arizona State
Ralen Goforth LB★★★from USC
Joe Moore DE★★★from Arizona State
Zach Durfee DE★★★from Sioux Falls
Darren Barkins CB★★★from Oregon
Jalen Klemm OT★★★from Kansas State

Transfers out 22

Sav’ell Smalls DE★★★to Colorado
Sam Huard QB★★★to Cal Poly
Taj Davis WR★★★to California
Victor Curne OL★★★to Ole Miss
Daniel Heimuli LB★★★to Arizona
Cameron Williams S★★★★to Georgia Southern
Lonyatta Alexander WR★★★★to Montana State
Myles Murao OL★★★★no new school on file
Aaron Dumas RB★★★no new school on file
Caden Jumper TE★★★no new school on file
Demario King LB★★★no new school on file
Jay’Veon Sunday RB★★★to Abilene Christian

And 10 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2023 Pac-12 standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Washington9–⁠014–⁠12
Oregon8–⁠112–⁠26
Arizona7–⁠210–⁠311
Utah5–⁠48–⁠5
USC5–⁠48–⁠5
Oregon State5–⁠48–⁠5
UCLA4–⁠58–⁠5
California4–⁠56–⁠7
Washington State2–⁠75–⁠7
Arizona State2–⁠73–⁠9
Stanford2–⁠73–⁠9
Colorado1–⁠84–⁠8

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.