- Steve Emtman was the No. 1 overall player in the 1992 NFL Draft.
- Mark Brunell was the 1991 Rose Bowl MVP.
- Corey Dillon played just one season for the Huskies but held the single-season rushing touchdown record.
The college football betting world knows the Huskies quite well after a successful 2023 season. They were almost never counted out as an online sportsbook favourite for college football live betting, especially against Oregon on October 14, where they won 36-33, scoring a touchdown with about a minute and a half to go in the game.
They didn’t win the national championship last year despite playing Michigan for the title, but they did win one in 1991.
There are plenty of well-known players to come through their ranks, and below, I’ll rank the top seven players in program history.
7 Best Washington Huskies Football Players
| Rank | Player | Position | Washington Huskies Years |
| 1 | Warren Moon | QB | 1975-1977 |
| 2 | Steve Emtman | DL | 1988-1991 |
| 3 | Napoleon Kaufman | RB | 1991-19994 |
| 4 | Mark Brunell | QB | 1989-1992 |
| 5 | Michael Penix | QB | 2022-2023 |
| 6 | Corey Dillon | RB | 1996 |
| 7 | Lincoln Kennedy | OT | 1989-1992 |
1. Warren Moon
Moon was an anomaly when he played in the mid-1970s. He was the first black quarterback in Huskies history.
He started his college career at West Los Angeles before going to Washington in 1975.
During his time there, his 1977 season epitomized his career. He was the Most Valuable Player in the Rose Bowl. They won the Pac-8 title and beat Michigan 27-20.
The Huskies were 14-point underdogs, and this was a pivotal moment in the school’s history.
He finished with 3,277 passing yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 429 yards and nine scores.
His stats won’t blow anyone away, but the importance of his time there cannot be understated.
2. Steve Emtman
A key cog to the 1991 national title win, Emtman also won the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bill Willis Award, and Morris Trophy, and was the UPI Lineman of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
That was all in 1991 when he finished with 62 tackles and 20.5 tackles for loss.
He finished fourth in Heisman voting and was the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year twice (1990 and 1991).
He was dominant and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.
3. Napoleon Kaufman
The second-leading rusher in Huskies history, Kaufman finished with 4,106 rushing yards from 1991 to 1994 and is third in rushing touchdowns with 34.
Like Emtman, Kaufman was part of the 1991 national title team, but he was a freshman and had 307 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns that year.
He was a second-team All-American in 1994, a third-team All-American in 1993, the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1994, and a three-time first-team All-Pac-10.
4. Mark Brunell
Brunell was part of the 1991 national title team, but suffered a knee injury before the season. He would return, but there was a platoon between him and Billy Joe Hobert.
Still, he did throw a touchdown pass during the national title game (the Rose Bowl) to beat Michigan.
He was named the Rose Bowl MVP in 1991, was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, and was second-team All-Pac-10.
Brunel finished his career with Washington with 3,423 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes. He also ran 190 times for 678 yards and 19 touchdowns, including 10 in 1990.
5. Michael Penix Jr.
Some may argue recency bias, but Penix Jr. put the Huskies back on the map during his time there. He played for the Huskies for two seasons, and during that time, he had the following accomplishments:
- Third in passing yards (9,544)
- Holds the top two records for passing yards in a single season (4,903 in 2023; 4,641 in 2022).
- Holds five of the top 10 spots in single-game passing yard numbers, including 516 in 2022 against Arizona.
- Third in passing touchdowns (67).
- Third in total offense (9,644)
Michael Penix Jr. highlights 🏹9️⃣@themikepenix 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7RDjqsb6JS
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) March 18, 2024
He won the Maxwell Award in 2023 and the AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. He was a first-team All-American in 2023 and led the Huskies to the national championship game following the 2023 season.
6. Corey Dillon
Dillon played just one season for the Huskies (1996), but it was a massive impact.
In his lone season, he rushed 271 times for 1,695 yards and had 24 touchdowns. He added 15 receptions for 273 yards and one score.
He also returned 16 kicks for 357 yards.
As far as single-season statistics go, Dillon is second in rushing yards (1,695) and first in rushing touchdowns (24).
He was a third-team All-American.
7. Lincoln Kennedy
Another member of the 1991 national title team, Kennedy won the Jim Parker Trophy, two Morris Trophies, was a unanimous All-American (1992), third-team All-American (1991), and second-team All-Pac-10 (1990).
He’s a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
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