The most noticeable thing about tight end Ryan Otton during University of Washington spring football was how muscular he became almost overnight, transforming himself from a slender freshman and redshirt freshman into a solidly built veteran.
He entered winter conditioning listed at 6-foot-6 and 243 pounds — and came out of spring ball a robust 14 pounds heavier. His biceps were well defined. His lower body was filled out.
Dare we say he closer resembled Cade Otton, his older brother who became a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, started 35 games and caught 91 passes for the Huskies, and emerged as a fourth-round NFL draft pick and now starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In fact, Ryan Otton, as a third-year sophomore, stands an inch taller and carries 10 more pounds than his highly accomplished sibling who is entering his third pro football season.
This is one in a series of articles — going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster — examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.
Whereas some people might have hoped Ryan would become an immediate UW contributor similar to his brother, who started 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018, young Otton has shown that each player’s development is different, even with the same DNA. He’s also dealt with nagging injuries throughout his time in Montlake.
“He’s taken a lot of steps,” said tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao, back for a second UW coach stint to make his second Otton sibling into a finished product. “I do think just for Ry it’s just being able to show some consistency and just grow some physicality, but you see how he looks and how he catches the ball.”
In spring ball, Otton worked with the No. 1 and 2 offenses, often running in tandem either with senior Quentin Moore or freshman Decker DeGraaf. His pinpoint routes and good hands were noticeable.
Last season, this next-generation Otton simply had to wait his turn while playing behind four older Husky tight ends — Devin Culp, Jack Westover, Josh Cuevas and Moore — who each appeared in all 15 games for the UW’s national runner-up team.
Culp has joined Cade Otton in Florida after getting drafted by the Bucs, Westover went to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and Cuevas transferred to Alabama, demonstrating the high end they all brought to Montlake.
It’s finally Ryan Otton’s turn to become one of the main guys as a UW tight end, to take aim at his brother’s achievements, to make all of the new guys recruited to this position for this season and next have to wait on him to get of the way.
“I think he’s a unique talent and someone I’m really looking forward to continue to work with,” Paopao said of young Otton, “especially since I’ve spent some substantial time with his family.”
RYAN OTTON FILE
What he’s done: Otton had the great misfortune of pulling a hamstring muscle in his very first Husky practice in 2022 that bothered throughout his firstl season and even had him still riding an exercise bike this past spring. He’s actually appeared in two UW games so far, making his college debut against Colorado as a freshman and drawing late snaps against California last season.
Starter or not: He seems on track to play a lot this season and start whenever the Huskies deem him ready to go, maybe in 2025 if not sooner. His presence means the Huskies will have an Otton on the roster for the seventh consecutive season.
For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington