Ryan Otton is a Husky!

With Ryan Otton’s signature, he becomes the sixth tight end on the Washington roster and the second Otton to occupy the position in as many years.

Ryan Otton (TE, 6’6” 225, Tumwater, WA)

Otton is a solidly ranked 4-star recruit as the 235th overall player in the country and 9th best tight end prospect according to 247 Sports. Washington was his second offer back in April, 2020 before Stanford, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, and others got into the mix. But, this ultimately felt like it would be a UW - Stanford battle for the athletic Otton.

He took three official visits on consecutive weekends: Oregon State (his first offer), Stanford, and then Washington. Approximately 35 days after his Washington visit, he verbally committed to the Dawgs. He never wavered during the rough season or coaching transition, as he seemed always destined to be a Husky.

As a prospect, it’s easy to get excited about his potential. He’ll come in as a well drilled blocker due to his years in Tumwater’s run heavy offense, but he’s shown the athletic ability to get downfield and the hands to catch the ball. With his 6-6 frame he can win the jump ball and could be a real red zone threat. He played some defensive end in high school too, but it’s clear his potential is on the offensive side of the ball. When the ball is in his hands, he can really get moving downfield.

Kalen DeBoer’s offense at Fresno State didn’t made a ton of use of the tight end position in passing situations. They’re on the field, but aren’t primary receiving targets (although he did have a TE with a lot of receiving yards while at Indiana). We’ll see how much Otton can impose himself onto this offense - Washington has a strong tradition at the position and he has more than enough talent to be the next great one in a long line. With the recent departure of Mark Redman, and Chance Bogan seemingly being dropped, there is an opportunity for Otton to make an instant impact, but he’ll have to beat out Devin Culp and Jack Westover as the primary starters if he wants to see the field.

Welcome to Montlake, Ryan!