Washington quarterback Sam Huard, a former five-star recruit, will enter the transfer portal after two years with the program. Huard will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.
Huard, a UW legacy, ranked as the top quarterback recruit in the history of the program when he committed to then-offensive coordinator John Donovan. He finished as the No. 3 quarterback in the nation and No. 23 overall player in the Top247 rankings. The only quarterback to rank ahead of Huard were Quinn Ewers and Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
The Bellevue, Washington, native had a shaky start to his career, throwing four interceptions in a 40-13 loss to Washington State in his first real action. First-year coach Kalen DeBoer added Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. to take over the starting job in 2022, which limited Huard to two pass attempts. Penix announced that he would return after leading the Huskies to an 11-2 record in his first season with the program.
With multiple years of eligibility remaining, Huard provides an intriguing project for teams looking towards the future at quarterback. Huard told The Athletic that level doesn't concern him as much as finding a pathway to playing time. If he wants to stay on the West Coast, Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford helped transform former Huskies quarterback Jake Haener into a star. Huard also has ties to Boise State as former UW running backs coach Keith Bhonapha now serves as associate head coach in Boise.
Huard comes from a long line of collegiate quarterbacks. His father, Damon, set the Washington program record for most career yards passing. His uncle, Brock, broke the record and played in the NFL. Another uncle, Luke, played quarterback at North Carolina and was recently promoted to full-time receivers coach at USC under Lincoln Riley.
