At a time when players - and teams - opt-out of bowl games, the Huskies are expected to have Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston for Saturday's matchup against Boise State.
University of Washington head football coach Jedd Fisch told the Seattle Times this week that he expects to have stars Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston available for the LA Bowl, which is coming up on Saturday night at 5 p.m. PT in Los Angeles.
Fisch also said he expects his entire roster to be present at the game Saturday, and said he hasn’t heard about any of his players opting out of the game. That includes Coleman (knee) and junior wide receiver Denzel Boston (ankle).
“They’re both playing,” Fisch said. “They’re good to go.
The Huskies, who went 8-4 in the regular season, will take on Boise State, who went 9-4 and won the Mountain West Conference Championship by beating UNLV last Friday night. The Huskies are favored by more than a touchdown.
It's noteworthy to hear that Fisch expects to have both players, given that both have real NFL aspirations. Coleman will head to the draft, as his career is over after this game, while Boston could still return to school. It's unknown what he'll do at this time.
Opting-out of bowl games is now common practice for players who want to stay healthy and get a jumpstart on the NFL Draft process. In fact, we've now seen entire teams opt-out of bowl games, though that's more of a disappointment of where they were or were not placed. Notre Dame recently pulled out of a bowl game because they were not placed in the College Football Playoff.
About Coleman
A four-year standout who began his career with Fisch at the University of Arizona, he ran for 673 yards this season and 14 touchdowns, playing in 11 of the 12 games. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry this season and his 16 total touchdowns led the Big 10.
He is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday night for the awards dinner. Fisch will be with him and his family.
About Boston
A junior who has already played parts of four seasons (red-shirt freshman year) with the Huskies, he had 56 catches in 11 games this season for 755 yards. He pulled down a career-high 10 touchdowns and averaged 68.6 yards per game.
If he goes to the NFL, he'll join Rome Odunze, Ja'lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan as recent UW receivers to head to the NFL. Odunze is part of the Chicago Bears team that is battling for an NFC North title this season.
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