Northern Colorado’s Shea Kuykendall is the newest Husky.
Washington finished spring workouts with only two scholarship quarterbacks, so getting another one through the transfer portal was a priority. Shea Kuykendall, a Northern Colorado transfer, committed to the Huskies today, bringing an end to their hunt. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Kuykendall, who stands 6’1, was an unrated recruit from Long Beach Poly in the 2022 class. As a senior, he was knocked out for the starting spot by Darius Curry, who will attend Colorado State this fall after receiving many offers from previous Pac-12 schools. As a result, Kuykendall received only a few FCS offers and ultimately chose Northern Colorado.
He redshirted his first year before taking over as backup to former Husky Jacob Sirmon this season. Sirmon was benched after his eighth start, in which he went 6/20 for 43 yards and two interceptions in a 40-0 loss to Montana. That opened the door for Kuykendall, who began the final three games of UNC’s dreadful 0-11 season.
Given the paucity of skill on the roster, Kuykendall’s performance is difficult to evaluate. He concluded the season completing 64.3% of his throws for 5.6 YPA, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Kuykendall was more prone to checkdowns than Sirmon, and while he had a greater completion rate, his average depth of target was significantly lower.
Their yards and touchdown/interception ratios were pretty close, indicating Kuykendall wasn’t significantly worse than the starter until he took over.
Kuykendall does provide some mobility, albeit he is not a real dual threat option. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 9 running attempts for 52 yards in non-sack rushes and broke four tackles. It shouldn’t come as a surprise in his first collegiate game, but Kuykendall was fired for an astronomically high 35.3% of his pressures in such a short sample size.
All glory to God. After an amazing visit and receiving an offer, I’m blessed to announce that I am committed to THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON!! @CoachJeddFisch @CoachJimmieD @UW_Football #PurpleReign #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/cf8hUDFcKe
— Shea Kuykendall (@KuykendallShea) May 23, 2024
The coaching staff does not expect Kuykendall to play this season. Mississippi State Transfer Barring an injury, Will Rogers appears to be very certain to start the first game. Demond Williams Jr. will almost certainly serve as the backup. Despite being a four-year junior, the coaching staff gave him every opportunity to challenge Rogers in the spring, and Williams impressed enough to convince Dermarcius Davis to transfer to UCLA.
The Huskies’ depth chart shows a vast disparity between a true freshman and a fifth-year senior. They needed someone who was willing to come in as the third string now that two other quarterbacks have committed to enroll in 2025.
That doesn’t leave many options, but the coaching staff was able to bring in someone with three years of eligibility remaining and some collegiate starting experience.
Shea Kuykendall ➡️ Robinson
UNC 20, PSU 14 | 12:22 | 4Q#GetUpGreeley pic.twitter.com/3ctF22IHh7
— Northern Colorado Football (@UNC_BearsFB) November 18, 2023
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