Washington can signify a new college football landscape by winning the national championship.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports noted that the Huskies haven’t had a top-25 recruiting class in the last three years, but they’re one victory away from disrupting the status quo. That led Crawford to identify other non-blueblood programs capable of making major noise next season.
When searching for the “next Washington,” Crawford looked for schools not considered perennial title contenders that rely on advanced scouting, particularly through the transfer portal.
The analyst picked Missouri, Arizona, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee as the top five candidates.
The great equalizer for one of college football’s non-blueblood annual recruiters?
Transcendent QB play from Michael Penix, freaks on the outside and a damn good scheme.
Who will be the ‘next Washington’ in 2024? Five teams that fit a similar profile: https://t.co/sEXf0lJmZm pic.twitter.com/3rB0sfPbEd
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) January 3, 2024
Missouri concluded an 11-win season with a Cotton Bowl triumph over Ohio State. Crawford cited a strong transfer haul joining a returning foundation.
“In 2024, Missouri has two former five-stars on its roster in wideout Luther Burden and freshman Williams Nwaneri, a returning starter at quarterback in Brady Cook coming off a statistically-noteworthy season, and fill three major needs at starting spots with three highly-regarded portal acquisitions — Oklahoma offensive lineman Cayden Green, Georgia State running back Marcus Carroll and Clemson corner Toriano Pride,” Crawford wrote,
Arizona has never won a national title, but Crawford believes the program will enter 2024 with the most buzz since 1998. He called quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan a “deadly” pairing.
Crawford drew parallels between Lane Kiffin’s Rebels and the Huskies following an 11-win campaign.
“Exiting 2022, Washington was one of the hottest teams in the country and used a bowl win over Texas to propel itself to bigger and better things,” Crawford wrote. “Perhaps Ole Miss follows an identical path since it brings back Jaxson Dart at quarterback, a wealth of talented wideouts, and should be improved defensively with expansive portal help.”
Crawford acknowledged that including Oregon “feels like cheating,” as the Ducks would have made the CFP if defeating Washington for the Pac-12 title. Oregon landed Dillon Gabriel through the portal to take the leap in 2024.
Finally, Crawford thinks quarterback Nico Iamaleava can do for Tennessee what Michael Penix Jr. has for Washington.
“Like Penix did at Washington, Iamaleava is the type of talent that makes everyone around him better,” Crawford said. “He is a dynamic option, the first Heupel’s had a quarterback, and gives Tennessee more than a puncher’s chance at getting inside the top 10 in 2024 and staying there if he stays healthy.”