Kennedy Catholic record-setting passer one of four Lancers on UW Huskies roster this spring
When the Washington Huskies began their spring practice schedule last season, Sam Huard arrived on campus days after wrapping up his four-year career at Kennedy Catholic High School.
Last March, in his final game with the Lancers, Huard turned in one of his most impressive high school performances on a sunny afternoon at Highline Memorial Stadium in Burien.
He completed 40 of 56 passes. He threw for 500-plus yards for the seventh time, finishing with 514. He connected with four receivers — including two who eventually joined him at UW — on scoring plays, and ended the afternoon with eight touchdowns.
He also broke the state’s career passing record in the game, finishing his career with 13,226 yards through the air in 35 appearances, and jumped up the career lists in completions (847) and touchdowns (153), departing ranked third in both categories.
This spring, he enters his second season in Seattle with four games of experience, including his first college start, and a full set of winter workouts behind him, looking forward to what he can build on in the Huskies’ new offense.
The Huskies completed their 14th and final practice of the spring Thursday morning, with the annual spring game still ahead Saturday.
“I feel like I’ve just gotten a lot of great reps to take away from this, a lot of learning reps, and I feel like that’s all going to prepare me and give me an idea of what I need to work on this summer before heading into fall camp,” Huard said following Thursday’s practice.
After playing against Arkansas State, Arizona and Arizona State, then starting in the Apple Cup in UW’s final game last fall, Huard enters his redshirt freshman season competing with two more Huskies quarterbacks for the starting role this fall.
Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr., who formerly played in coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense with the Hoosiers, and Graham-Kapowsin product Dylan Morris, who started the Huskies’ first 11 games last fall, have also been taking equal reps at the position this spring. UW has not yet named a starter for the fall.
Huard — who finished last season 22-of-42 passing for 241 yards and one touchdown to four interceptions in his four appearances — has spent the spring getting comfortable with the Huskies’ new offense, which will be his third in the past three seasons.
“I know that I’ve got great coaches and great players around me that are pushing me and helping me get better every single day,” he said. “And that’s just kind of really what I’m focused on is just stacking days, getting better every single day and just really starting to get more comfortable in this system, and be able to gain that trust from my coaches and my teammates to go out there and make plays.”
Many practicing in Seattle this spring already know Huard’s play-making ability well — including three players he started alongside during his high school career.
Huard is not the only former Kennedy Catholic standout on the Huskies’ roster this season.
When edge rusher Sav’ell Smalls joined UW as part of the 2020 class, he became the high school’s first player to sign with the program since defensive end Everrette Thompson back in 2008.
This spring, though, the Huskies have four former Kennedy Catholic players on their roster.
Smalls returns for his third season with the program, Huard and wide receiver Jabez Tinae return for their second seasons and wide receiver Lonyatta Alexander Jr. enters his first season in Seattle after transferring from Arizona State this winter.
Smalls, who played both his freshman and senior seasons at Kennedy Catholic — including helping the program reach the Class 4A state quarterfinals in 2019 — and two at Garfield noted earlier on this spring how familiar it feels playing alongside his former high school teammates.
“I am at home, but it makes me feel like I’m at home even more,” he said earlier this month.
During his senior season with the Lancers, Smalls was key on defense, finishing with 40 tackles, including 15 for losses and seven sacks, 35 quarterback hurries and an interception.
He has appeared in all 16 games the Huskies have played the past two seasons, collecting 18 tackles and a fumble recovery.
When Smalls signed with the Huskies in 2020, Huard, Tinae and Alexander were standing at his side, along with their Lancers teammates, in the Kennedy Catholic gym. Two years later, they have reunited at Husky Stadium.
Huard was the first to join Smalls at UW last spring, Tinae arrived later ahead of fall camp, and Alexander for practices this spring.
Tinae returns after playing in one game last season as a true freshman, debuting alongside Huard against Arkansas State.
He was another four-year standout for Kennedy Catholic, posting a pair of 1,000-plus-yard seasons, and finishing his career with 189 catches for 4,030 yards and 43 touchdowns in 35 games. He ended his senior season seventh in state history in career receiving yards.
Though he has been limited in practices this spring, Huard is looking forward to what Tinae can add to UW’s offense moving forward.
“I’m super excited for what he’s going to be able to do and show everyone in this offense,” Huard said.
Alexander announced he would be returning home in January after appearing in two games with Arizona State last fall.
His return reunites the trio that paced Kennedy Catholic’s offense for four seasons, as well as the group that led the Lancers to their most recent state playoffs appearance when Smalls was a senior and Huard, Tinae and Alexander were juniors.
“Knowing those guys are here and that they’ve always had my back, the transition was pretty smooth coming back home,” Alexander said earlier this spring.
“Junior in four years in high school didn’t miss one game, played both sides of the ball and he’s just extremely reliable,” Huard said. “I have complete trust when I’m throwing him the ball that he’s going to come down with it and make a play, and that’s what makes him so special.”
Alexander also turned in a pair of 1,000-plus-yard seasons for the Lancers, and finished his career with 236 catches for 4,032 yards and 63 touchdowns in 37 games.
He left Kennedy Catholic tied for third in state history in career receiving touchdowns, tied for fifth in career receptions and sixth in career receiving yards.
Now, he is looking to find a role in a Huskies offense stacked with talent at wide receiver.
“He’s doing great,” Huard said. “He’s just getting better every single day. It’s a process for him, it’s a process for me, for everyone on this team, and I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to get to where he needs to be and be making plays out here.”
Both Huard and Alexander have also noted commonalities this new UW offense has to the system they ran at Kennedy Catholic, and will look to build on that success as they move forward with the Huskies.
“I do really like this system, and I feel like there’s a lot of similarities to what I did in high school — just pushing the ball down the field, that aggressive mindset and that mentality,” Huard said.
“We were Air Raid in high school, so I see a lot of similarities in a lot of terminology that we use that I’m used to out on the field,” Alexander said earlier this spring. “It’s all similar, so it’s fun.”
