FootballScoop is proud to announce that Scott Huff (Washington) is the 2023 FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Many assumed the best aspect of Washington's offense is its passing attack, led by Heisman finalist quarterback Michael Penix and its best-in-class receiving corps, starring Biletnikoff Award finalist Rome Odunze. And the Huskies' passing attack is quite good -- they lead the nation in passing yards as of this writing.
But it's not the best part of Washington's offense.
That would be its Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line.
From left to right, Washington is powered by First Team All-Pac-12 left tackle Troy Fautanu, a fifth-year player; fifth-year senior left guard Nate Kalepo; Second Team All-Pac-12 and Freshman All-American center Parker Brailsford; fifth-year senior right guard Julius Buelow; and Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 redshirt junior right tackle Roger Rosengarten. None of those five have missed a game so far this season.
In addition to leading the nation in passing yardage, Washington is fifth nationally at 7.23 yards per play and 11th in the country at 37.7 points per game.
Though the Huskies averaged only 125.2 yards per game on the ground, they can run the ball when it matters most. Against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, Dillon Johnson rushed 28 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington excelled on third down, converting 71 out of 147 opportunities, good for 11th nationally, and ranked ninth on fourth down, going 11-of-15.
And despite pass blocking nearly as much as anyone in the country, Washington hardly ever surrendered a sack. Opposing pass rushers got to Penix 11 times in U-Dub's first 13 games, while Penix stood upright on 466 attempts. The Huskies also ranked in the top five in TFLs allowed, permitting a scant 3.54 per game.
That production level allowed Washington to post an undefeated regular season, win the Pac-12 championship, and reach the College Football Playoff, where they will face Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
Huff originally joined Washington's staff in 2017, working under Chris Petersen. The Arizona State graduate began coaching as a GA at his alma mater in 2004 and coached at Boise State from 2006-16, coaching tight ends and special teams in addition to the O-line.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Brad Davis [LSU], Bill Durkin [Liberty], Garin Justice [SMU], A'lique Terry [Oregon] and Huff) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Offensive Line Coach of the Year award are Steve Greatwood (Oregon, 2008), Tony Wise (Pittsburgh, 2009), Bob Bostad (Wisconsin, 2010) Greg Studrawa (LSU, 2011), Ed Warinner (Ohio State, 2012 and 2014), Mike Bloomgren (Stanford, 2013), Tom Manning (Toledo, 2015), Brian Callahan/Bill Kenney (Western Michigan, 2016), Bill Bedenbaugh (Oklahoma, 2017), Glen Elarbee (UCF, 2018), James Cregg (LSU, 2019), DJ Looney and Rob Sale (Louisiana, 2020), Jim Harding (Utah, 2021) and Sherrone Moore (Michigan, 2022).
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