The Washington Huskies put three offensive players onto the East-West Shrine Bowl’s annual Shrine Bowl 1000 watchlist. Released earlier this week, inclusion on the list indicates a good chance that a player will be invited to either the Shrine Bowl or its competitor game, the Panini Senior Bowl, which will release its own watchlist later this summer.
Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr., offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi, and center Landen Hatchett were the representatives for the offense. No skill position players landed on the list, an indication of how young and in flux the running back and wide receiver rooms are on Montlake after sending Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston to the NFL.
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Williams is eligible to be on the list because the Shrine and Senior Bowls are allowed to invite underclassmen after the NFL tweaked the eligibility rules for the all-star events a few years ago. The rising junior quarterback is well-known nationally as one of the sport’s most dynamic playmakers, a reputation that informed January’s transfer portal saga that Washington and Williams both insist they have put behind them.
With JP Losman, a former NFL player in his own right, taking over as quarterbacks coach this season, the Huskies hope that Williams can showcase the young talent they have elsewhere on the offense while remaining capable of taking over games as he did against Rutgers last season, where he threw for over 400 yards and added over 100 on the ground.
Azzopardi had a rather poor first impression with Huskies fans when he transferred in from San Diego State, grading as one of the worst offensive tackles in the Big Ten during the 2024 season. But the right tackle quietly blossomed into one of the highlights of the offense in 2025 and likely would have been a mid-to-late round draft pick this April if he elected to forego his remaining eligibility. With another season now on the table and Washington’s offensive line setting a goal of winning the Joe Moore Award, Azzopardi has a chance to solidify his standing as a third- or fourth-round selection with another strong campaign. He seems the likeliest of the offensive honorees to wind up in Dallas for the Shrine Bowl this January.
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Hatchett started nine games at center last season before missing the last four with a wrist injury and is expected, alongside Azzopardi, to lead an offensive line unit dripping with talent. Injuries will be a major factor in Hatchett’s pro evaluation after he came off the bench to start 2024 while recovering from a knee injury and had to miss time last season as well. If he can play a fully healthy year for an improved pass protection unit this season, he has the potential to work himself into the late rounds of the NFL draft, much as defenders Anterio Thompson and Zach Durfee did in 2025.
Washington begins fall camp in early August, with the Shrine Bowl kicking off the NFL Draft cycle at the end of January.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Profiling Washington’s 3 offensive starters on Shrine Bowl watch list
