Coach Fisch has brought in the 23rd ranked class (high school recruits) for this season. Included among the 27 true freshmen are 8 that were rated as 4-stars, so it seems that there are many that Fisch is expecting to contribute this season. It’s also important to point out that 18 of the freshmen arrived early enough to be available for spring practices, giving them a head start in competing for playing time this season.
There are usually 5 factors that determine how much impact a true freshman will have.
1) Talent. This is usually what fans will gravitate to as a way to find the freshmen that will have the most impact. And the recruiting ratings will often be used to compare the talent levels of the freshmen.
2) Depth chart. As talented as some incoming freshmen might be, it may be hard to make an impact if there are established players at their position that are very good. A great example of this from about 10 years ago is Byron Murphy. He was highly rated out of high school, and proved it when he eventually started playing-and then getting drafted. But he was behind some very good players and so ended up redshirting his freshman season.
3) Position. While every position is important, some positions are easier or harder to make an impact. Obviously being the starting QB will have a huge impact. A defensive lineman that is being rotated in and out may have a harder time making an impact. (Obviously it can be done, but you have to be very good.)
4) Experience. As mentioned above, some of the true freshmen were able to participate in spring practices. This can give them an advantage when it comes to playing time because they will have already learned a lot by the time they start fall camp.
5) Health. It takes many high school players at least a year in a college strength and conditioning program to be able to handle the rigors of a full season of college football. But there are some freshmen that are in good enough shape (and at certain positions) that are able to do it.
With those factors in mind, here are some of the true freshmen that look like they could make a big impact this season.
As the highest-rated recruit in the 2025 class, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale is an obvious candidate for an impact true freshman. And on top of that, the depth at the LB position was thin-which is why UW brought in 2 freshmen and 3 transfers. Two of those transfers look to be at least in the 2-deep, and one returning player (Devin Bryant) appears ready to be in the 2-deep as well. That leaves ZRS with a good shot at also being in the 2-deep, which would get him significant playing time. The problem is that Zaydrius injured his ACL during his senior season in high school. Although he did enroll at UW early enough to start spring practices, he has still be in rehabilitation. It is unclear if or when he will be able to fully participate in practices, let alone play in a game.
As the second-highest rated of the incoming freshmen, Dillard-Allen is probably a good bet to challenge for playing time this year. He has a lot of speed (he has a track background), can cover a lot of ground, and can play a number of spots in the secondary. One thing going against him is his size; he’s the lightest of the (scholarship) safeties at 180lbs. He may need to spend time bulking up before playing a full season-although he could play 3-4 games this season. The other thing going against him is the depth in the secondary. There are 2 returning safeties, McCutcheon (who is listed at safety) and Esteen. Fisch also brought in 2 transfers. Plus there are players like Rahshawn Clark and Vincent Holmes who are returning that have flashed at times. It could be tough for Rylon to break into the rotation.
Arguably the biggest recruiting win of the 2025 class was Dylan Robinson. He was a highly-rated recruit and UW was up against Notre Dame and UCLA for his commitment. He has the height that many like for a CB at 6’3”, and he has good speed. He’s also a good enough WR that he could play on that side of the ball, too.
Much like Dillard-Allen, there appear to be many established players in front of Dylan Robinson. Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock appear to have the starting CB jobs locked down, but there aren’t a lot of options after them, so Dylan Robinson should be challenging for playing time this season.
OL Champ Taulealea/John Mills
I’m grouping these two together since they are competing for a spot on the OL. Champ was rated slightly higher (Composite 0.9005 vs 0.8908), but both had very good offers. Mills was the late flip from Texas. Both also have good size, and both also participated in spring practices. And based on spring practices, it looks like both will be competing to be in the 2-deep at one of the guard positions-or, possibly even start. The tackle positions, plus the center, appear to be locked up, but there aren’t established starters at the guard positions, so it isn’t out of the question for either or both to be a starter this year.
One player who really stood out in the spring “game” was Raiden Vines-Bright. The WR played his senior season at IMG Academy, but only played in 2 games because of injury. Before that he played at Corona Del Sol (Arizona) and was familiar with Demond Williams Jr. before coming to UW. During his recruitment, he said that he was being compared to former Arizona WR Jacob Cowing. While UW has 14 WR’s on scholarship for this year, only a couple have significant playing time. That should give Vines-Bright plenty of opportunity to make the 2-deep and potentially see the field a lot this season. Vines-Bright was injured (again) during spring practices, but if his play in the spring “game” is any indication, then he could have a huge impact this season.
While Chris Lawson didn’t have the stats during the spring “game”, he was impressive during all of the spring practices. It helped that the top two WR’s (Boston and Evans) were out during spring because of injury; but that just meant that Lawson was able to get a lot of reps with the 1’s and build a relationship with Demond. And just like with Vines-Bright, the lack of experience at the WR position should provide Lawson with a lot of opportunity for playing time. Unfortunately, Chris Lawson appears to have started training camp with some sort of injury which is limiting his practicing.
The clearest path to making an impact for a true freshman this year appears to be at the WR position. The question is, which of them will have the most. It could be either of the two mentioned above, or someone like Dezmen Roebuck who has started practice with some great performances.
Chris Lawson has the talent. He plays at a position where there is a clear path to a lot of playing time, and at a position where he can make some noticeable impact. He was able to participate in spring practices. As long as he gets and stays healthy, there should be no reason that he does not make a huge impact this season.