The rapidly approaching 2024 college football season will mark the fifth since Chris Petersen coached his final game with the Washington Huskies before retiring.
Since his departure, the Huskies have seen three head coaches, a 4-8 season, a 14-1 season that ended with a berth in the national championship game, five first-round picks, and a second-place finisher in the Heisman Trophy voting, the best in school history. Throughout all that turmoil, five players from Petersen’s final season remain on the roster.
None of these players entered the transfer portal and have all been important contributors to the Huskies in one way or another. Now, they’re all expected to play key roles in the rotations at their respective positions in their final season on Montlake.
The final five
S Kamren Fabiculanan
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Moving into a full-time starting role for the first time in his career, Fabiculanan is going to be one of the leaders of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick’s group. He was impressive in spurts in 2023 and pulled in his first 2 career interceptions, but injuries limited his overall production.
The former four-star recruit from Westlake High School in California should continue to improve under safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri and be one of the most productive players at his position in the Big Ten.
LB Alphonzo Tuputala
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A three-star recruit from nearby Federal Way High School, Tuputala took over a full-time starting job in 2022 and has been a reliable member of the defense ever since. Even though fellow senior Carson Bruener has gotten the majority of the attention at the position, his running mate is primed for a strong final year.
RB Cameron Davis
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When Davis last saw the field, he was one of the best running backs in the Pac-12. He scored 13 touchdowns in 2022 and should see a similar role this season while splitting the backfield with Jonah Coleman as he did that year with Wayne Taulapapa. The four-star product of Upland High School was highly regarded by Petersen during his true freshman year, but was limited to just two games that year.
This year, depending on how Fisch wants to deploy his talented duo of experienced backs, he could be in line to receive a career-high in carries, which he set two years ago with 107.
DT Jacob Bandes
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The second-highest ranked prospect in Petersen’s 2019 class, Bandes has played in 44 consecutive games and while he has just 47 tackles to his name, he has been an impactful member of Washington’s defensive line. He isn’t expected to start for Belichick this season, but could end up as one of the Huskies’ most important run stuffers this fall.
LB Drew Fowler
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When Fowler chose Washington as a three-star prospect from Bellevue High School, he did it as a preferred walk-on, passing up on scholarship offers from Louisville, Utah, and UCLA to play for his favorite childhood team. Shortly after his arrival, Jedd Fisch put him on scholarship, which he made retroactive to the 2023 season.
He’s played in 39 games during his Husky career, mainly on special teams, but has an opportunity to find himself on the two-deep depth chart by the time the season rolls around.
