The Washington Huskies head into the 2023 college football season with a ton of hype and the potential to compete for a Pac-12 title.
Those hopes took a hit Tuesday with the news that sophomore running back Cameron Davis will miss the entire season.
Davis will miss the season due to a lower-body injury he suffered in practice last week, according to head coach Kalen DeBoer.
UW running back Cameron Davis — who took the vast majority of UW's starting reps this offseason — will miss this season with a lower body injury. https://t.co/KwZaTMxhRa
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) August 22, 2023
“Cam is a huge part of [the offense],” DeBoer told reporters. “It’s his second year in the system, works so hard, leads the right way, disciplined guy. He not only does a great job with the ball in his hands, but in pass protection, he knows everything inside and out.”
Davis was an integral part of the Huskies’ offense last year, rushing for 522 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns. He was expected to be the top running back in the offense this season, replacing Wayne Taulapapa.
It now appears that Washington will lean on Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson and Will Nixon to step up. Johnson ran for 1,198 yards in three seasons with the Bulldogs.
“We’ve got guys who have come into the program, guys who have already been here,” DeBoer said. “It’s a competitive room, and guys are going to have opportunities to step up.”
The news certainly garnered some reactions around the college football world.
Cam Davis being out for the season is a massive blow to this Husky Offense. By the look of this off-season, Cam was poised for a monster year. BIG window of opportunity for Dillon Johnson and the rest of the room
— Jack McCauley (@JackMcCauley_) August 22, 2023
This sucks https://t.co/498uUuTzAH
— #PENIX4HEISMAN (@kaynillz) August 22, 2023
Pray for Davis https://t.co/fPorvUNtzv
— B1G Dawg Energy (@B1GDawgEnergy) August 22, 2023
Some difficult news for the Huskies. Davis was expected to start at RB while Memmelaar would have been in the rotation at OL. https://t.co/RFI02tfsYM
— SuperWest Sports (@SuperWestSports) August 22, 2023