The Washington Huskies football team could very well be in the thick of the College Football Playoff hunt next season.

The Huskies have been featured in several top 25 polls by various publications, in large part due to the returning talent on the offense.

Washington also landed several notable acquisitions from the transfer portal. And one player each from both the crop of returners and transfer portal were recently recognized by one of the more notable college football analysts in the country.

Phil Steele, who published an annual magazine of the same name previewing all Football Bowl Subdivision teams, recently released his predictions for the preseason All-Big Ten team.

Two Huskies made the preseason all-conference teams: offensive guard John Mills and punter Hunter Green.

Mills and Green were both predicted to land on the third team All-Big Ten.

Mills was one of the most impressive freshmen in the country last season. He was a three-star Class of 2025 recruit and made an immediate impact in his first year in college. He started 11 of 13 games, missing the other two due to injuries. He played 9-of-11 games at left guard and the other two at right tackle and was named All-Freshman by several publications, including On3 Sports.

Mills was one of the better pass-blocking interior offensive lineman in the country. He allowed just eight quarterback pressures last season and had a pass-blocking grade of 80.2 from Pro Football Focus, which was the highest pass-blocking grade given to a true freshman last year.

The 6-foot-6, 338-pound interior offensive lineman is expected to take another step forward next season and is a part of an offensive line that returns four-of-five starters from a season ago.

Mills' impact will likely extend off the field, as well. The only spot not occupied by a player who was on the roster last season is left tackle, which is currently occupied by five-star Class of 2026 recruit Kodi Greene. The true freshman is in a similar spot as Mills was a season ago, and the All-Freshman lineman's experience will likely prove valuable for Greene.

Green transferred to UW from San Diego State this offseason and was regarded as one of the best punters in the nation. His 46.97 yards per punt ranked sixth in the nation. He booted 30 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, which ranked fourth in the nation. His father, Phil Green, also played for the Dawgs as a walk-on punter.

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