By Adam Jude
The Seattle Times
The Washington Huskies, entering a season in which they are the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 championship, opened fall camp Friday as they begin preparations for their season opener against Auburn. Today, we resume our fall-camp position preview series with a look at wide receivers.
Who’s back
Chico McClatcher, jr., 5-8, 176
Aaron Fuller, jr., 5-10, 190
Andre Baccellia, jr., 5-10, 173
Quinten Pounds, jr., 6-0, 182
Ty Jones, so., 6-4, 215
Jordan Chin, so., 6-0, 164
Alex Cook, rs-fr., 6-1, 192
Terrell Bynum, rs-fr., 6-1, 190
John Gardner, sr., 6-3, 196*
Max Richmond, sr., 5-10, 181*
Ian Biddle, sr., 6-0, 187*
Josh Rasmussen, jr., 5-11, 184*
New arrivals
Trey Lowe, fr., 5-7, 174
Austin Osborne, fr., 6-2, 188
Marquis Spiker, fr., 6-3, 180
David Pritchard, fr., 6-0, 163*
*walk-on
Outlook
With the graduation of Dante Pettis, one of the most productive receivers in program history, the position is the biggest unknown going into fall camp. The receivers have heard the many questions about them, and Jake Browning said that group has used that as motivation this offseason. The Huskies were devastated by injuries at wide receiver in 2017 — Chico McClatcher (broken ankle) and Quinten Pounds (torn ACL) were lost for the season; starter Andre Baccellia (ankle) missed half the season; and Pettis essentially missed the last two games with an ankle injury. The Huskies don’t have a senior receiver on the roster, but UW has recruited the position well the past couple years, and there is good young depth. Aaron Fuller had a great spring, spending most of April with the No. 1 offense along with Baccellia and Ty Jones.
Star watch
McClatcher is as important/intriguing as anyone on the roster — right there with LT Trey Adams as a returning injured player who could make or break the Huskies’ hopes of a transcendent season. “Everybody forgets about Chico … until Chico takes the ball on a little 5-yard throw and then goes 70 with it,” Browning said last week. A Federal Way High product, McClatcher has 10 touchdowns (six receiving, four rushing) in 29 career games.
Key stat
As a sophomore in 2016, his last full season, McClatcher averaged 18.5 yards per catch — the best in the Pac-12 that year. He finished 2016 with 31 catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns.
Breakout candidates
There are many. Fuller is at the top of the list after his strong finish in 2017. The Huskies have prioritized size in recruiting receivers, and the 6-foot-4 Jones, the 6-3 Marquis Spiker and the 6-2 Austin Osborne fit the bill. Sophomore Jordan Chin, one of the fastest players on the team, was a pleasant surprise during the spring. Redshirt freshmen Alex Cook and Terrell Bynum have been lost in the shuffle a bit, but they’ll have chances to prove themselves in camp.
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