Husky tight end Decker DeGraaf warms up for the LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
Husky tight end Decker DeGraaf warms up for the LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By
Scott Hanson
Special to The Seattle Times
Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf has shown from the start of his collegiate career that he can catch the football, snagging a 33-yard touchdown pass on his first snap as a freshman and finishing third on the team in receptions as a sophomore last season with 32.
DeGraaf is determined to show next season as a junior that he is a complete tight end, as good a blocker as he is a pass-catcher. He said that has been his focus since the end of the season, and he said he has already made strides, adding weight (to 249 pounds from 245) and strength to his 6-foot-4 frame.
“I’ve been working on run blocking, pass blocking, the whole game,” said DeGraaf, who has started 18 of the 26 games he has played over the past two seasons. “I am just trying to be a well-developed tight end.”
The Huskies lost a superior blocking tight end with the graduation of Quentin Moore, who has NFL hopes. It will be up to DeGraaf and a group of inexperienced tight ends behind him to try and minimize that loss.
“That’s going to be a tough replacement,” tight ends coach Jordan Paopao said after Saturday’s spring practice. “I don’t think that you’re going to replace him immediately.”
That said, Paopao likes what he has seen from his group this spring and specifically praised Charlie Crowell, who will be a third-year sophomore next season and Baron Naone, who will be a second-year sophomore.
“We’ve been able to have Charlie healthy and getting great reps, and I think he has done a fantastic job,” Paopao said. “I think Baron is really starting to come into his own. He has made incredible leaps and bounds.”
The only returning tight end besides DeGraaf with a catch for UW last season is Kade Eldridge, who had one. Paopao said DeGraaf has done a great job working with his peers who have much less playing experience than him.
“I think he has done a great job of mentoring the young guys,” Paopao said. “I think that has really kind of changed in his mind. It is, ‘How much can I help the younger dudes and bring them along?’ I’ve always said that teaching is one of the most important things, just in terms of mastery of knowledge. And I think he’s done a really nice job.”
The 6-foot-4 Naone played in seven games last season as a true freshman and like DeGraaf, he has gotten bigger. He weighs 263 after weighing 245 entering last season, and he said he has also gotten faster.
Naone, who played at West Linn High School in Oregon, said he learned from watching Moore last season.
“I looked at his footwork for sure, and just how strong his core was,” Naone said. “I feel like for a lot of guys that it was super difficult for them to get him off his block. That is one thing that I try to do. I want to try to replicate that, to sustain my blocks the best I can.”
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As for Naone’s goals this season, he said, “First and foremost is finding a role on the team.”
“Then, once I get to that role on Saturdays, it is to make a big impact on the field, make my blocks, get down the field and catch some passes,” he said.
That is what DeGraaf has done the past two seasons.
“I definitely have a lot to grow on, but having played 26 games going into my junior year is a great place to be,” DeGraaf said. “I feel like I’ve played a lot of football, and it’s starting to show. I’m playing with a lot of confidence.”
Paopao said the biggest challenge for DeGraaf next season is “ownership of the offense, and not just from an individual standpoint.” He said part of that is understanding the defense and knowing what is going to happen before the ball is snapped.
“It’s more conceptual,” Paopao said. “It is what are the other people doing around him, and what can he do, just in terms of communication, to make sure he does a great job in assisting the others.”
Scott Hanson.
Husky tight end Decker DeGraaf warms up for the LA Bowl against the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By
Scott Hanson
Special to The Seattle Times
Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf has shown from the start of his collegiate career that he can catch the football, snagging a 33-yard touchdown pass on his first snap as a freshman and finishing third on the team in receptions as a sophomore last season with 32.
DeGraaf is determined to show next season as a junior that he is a complete tight end, as good a blocker as he is a pass-catcher. He said that has been his focus since the end of the season, and he said he has already made strides, adding weight (to 249 pounds from 245) and strength to his 6-foot-4 frame.
“I’ve been working on run blocking, pass blocking, the whole game,” said DeGraaf, who has started 18 of the 26 games he has played over the past two seasons. “I am just trying to be a well-developed tight end.”
The Huskies lost a superior blocking tight end with the graduation of Quentin Moore, who has NFL hopes. It will be up to DeGraaf and a group of inexperienced tight ends behind him to try and minimize that loss.
“That’s going to be a tough replacement,” tight ends coach Jordan Paopao said after Saturday’s spring practice. “I don’t think that you’re going to replace him immediately.”
That said, Paopao likes what he has seen from his group this spring and specifically praised Charlie Crowell, who will be a third-year sophomore next season and Baron Naone, who will be a second-year sophomore.
“We’ve been able to have Charlie healthy and getting great reps, and I think he has done a fantastic job,” Paopao said. “I think Baron is really starting to come into his own. He has made incredible leaps and bounds.”
The only returning tight end besides DeGraaf with a catch for UW last season is Kade Eldridge, who had one. Paopao said DeGraaf has done a great job working with his peers who have much less playing experience than him.
“I think he has done a great job of mentoring the young guys,” Paopao said. “I think that has really kind of changed in his mind. It is, ‘How much can I help the younger dudes and bring them along?’ I’ve always said that teaching is one of the most important things, just in terms of mastery of knowledge. And I think he’s done a really nice job.”
The 6-foot-4 Naone played in seven games last season as a true freshman and like DeGraaf, he has gotten bigger. He weighs 263 after weighing 245 entering last season, and he said he has also gotten faster.
Naone, who played at West Linn High School in Oregon, said he learned from watching Moore last season.
“I looked at his footwork for sure, and just how strong his core was,” Naone said. “I feel like for a lot of guys that it was super difficult for them to get him off his block. That is one thing that I try to do. I want to try to replicate that, to sustain my blocks the best I can.”
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Skip Ad
As for Naone’s goals this season, he said, “First and foremost is finding a role on the team.”
“Then, once I get to that role on Saturdays, it is to make a big impact on the field, make my blocks, get down the field and catch some passes,” he said.
That is what DeGraaf has done the past two seasons.
“I definitely have a lot to grow on, but having played 26 games going into my junior year is a great place to be,” DeGraaf said. “I feel like I’ve played a lot of football, and it’s starting to show. I’m playing with a lot of confidence.”
Paopao said the biggest challenge for DeGraaf next season is “ownership of the offense, and not just from an individual standpoint.” He said part of that is understanding the defense and knowing what is going to happen before the ball is snapped.
“It’s more conceptual,” Paopao said. “It is what are the other people doing around him, and what can he do, just in terms of communication, to make sure he does a great job in assisting the others.”
Scott Hanson.
