Washington’s offense has spent the first two weeks trying to find its rhythm, but Baron Naone has given the Huskies one steady answer.
The second-year tight end has been one of the clearest bright spots for Washington, giving third-year quarterback Demond Williams Jr. a reliable target while the rest of the unit has been hit by injuries. Through two games, Naone has caught eight passes for 70 yards, with a long reception of 19 yards.
That start has also put him on the radar nationally. PFN ranked Naone among the best tight ends in the country, placing him behind nine players: Noah Bennee of Utah, Hunter Tipton of Memphis, Willie Rodriguez of Kentucky, Trey'Dez Green of LSU, Mark Bowman of Southern California, Rocky Beers of Oklahoma, Jelanie Thurman of North Carolina, Jaleel Skinner of Louisville and Mason Mini of Cal.
The Huskies have scored 40 total points in two games against Pac-12 opponents, beating Washington State 24-10 and Utah State 16-14. Those wins came with some damage, though, as Washington lost key offensive pieces in running backs Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar, along with wide receivers Rashid Williams and Christian Moss.
Naone’s rise has been building beyond the box score. He stepped into a legitimate starting role this offseason and began stacking up consistent catches down the field, production that has matched the chemistry Williams has developed with third-year tight end Decker DeGraaf.
The staff believed in him early. Naone was a top-end recruit for head coach Jedd Fisch and the rest of the Washington staff in the Class of 2025. The West Linn High School product was a four-star recruit, ranked by the 247Sports composite as the 19th-best tight end and the second-best player in Oregon.
Washington still has one more nonconference game left before the schedule tightens up. The Huskies host Eastern Washington at 4:15 p.m. PT on Sept. 19 at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
After that, the Big Ten grind arrives quickly, and it starts with two games against Associated Press Top 25 teams in Washington’s first three conference matchups. If the Huskies survive that stretch, Naone figures to be a major part of whatever the offense becomes.
In Other News...
Washington Suddenly Has Another Injury Problem Before Its Final Tuneup
Washingtons injury list picked up another pair of names as the Huskies head into their final tuneup against Eastern Washington. Wide receiver Rashid Williams and cornerback Emmanuel Karnley are both dealing with soft tissue injuries, adding to a string of early-season issues that have already thinned Washingtons depth at running back and receiver.
The encouraging part for Washington is that neither player appears to be in immediate danger of a long absence, with both being evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Even so, both were still listed on the depth chart for the Eastern Washington game, leaving the Huskies with another familiar question as they try to get through the nonconference stretch healthier than they started it. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons Offense And Coaching Still Left Fans Uneasy After Utah State
Washingtons win over Utah State still left plenty of room for concern, even with the defense doing its part and keeping the opponent under control. The Huskies got encouraging work from a unit that generally held up well, and the special teams coverage of the game was enough to keep the focus on the bigger issues elsewhere, especially as the offense tried to find a steadier rhythm and the evaluation of the overall performance remained mixed.
The discomfort came from what Washington still is not quite cleaning up on offense and along the sideline, where coaching decisions and game management left fans with questions after a game that should have offered more clarity. There were positive individual moments and some signs of progress, but the review of the full performance suggested a team still sorting out its identity, with the next round of adjustments already looming. [Read more 🡒]
Former Husky Gave UW Fans A Week 1 Moment To Celebrate
Seven former Washington players were drafted in 2026 and found themselves in NFL season opener action, a reminder that the Huskies talent pipeline is already reaching the next level. For UW fans, it was a chance to track a familiar group across the league, with some players seeing meaningful snaps while others were limited by injury or coachs decisions before the first Sunday of the season was even over.
The biggest moment for the purple-and-gold crowd came from Denzel Boston, who turned in the kind of opener that gets remembered back in Seattle. Elsewhere, the availability picture was mixed, and two of the former Huskies, Zach Durfee and Anterio Thompson, are already looking at a longer wait to get back on the field as they recover from injuries and remain sidelined for at least the early part of the season. [Read more 🡒]