The Washington Huskies have been hard at work this offseason, but not everyone is impressed. While head coach Jedd Fisch exudes confidence in his team's progress, ESPN's latest rankings tell a different story—placing the Huskies at No. 12 in the Big Ten, squarely in the bottom half of the conference.

ESPN's Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg evaluated every Power 4 program's offseason moves, and they didn't hold back on Washington's challenges. The departures of NFL-bound talents like wide receiver Denzel Boston, running back Jonah Coleman, and cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock are significant losses. But it's the transfer portal exits that really caught their attention.

"Washington still must replace running back Adam Mohammed, who could have stepped in for Coleman but transferred to Cal," the ESPN article notes. "Other key portal exits include starting linebacker Deven Bryant, who transferred to USC, offensive linemen Paki Finau (BYU) and Zachary Henning (Arizona), and talented young receiver Raiden Vines-Bright, who landed at Arizona State."

While losing Mohammed stings—and Vines-Bright would have been a key rotational piece after starting 11 games as a true freshman—some context helps. Finau and Henning moved to Big 12 programs for starting opportunities. Bryant, who began the year as a starter, had already fallen behind Xe'ree Alexander and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale in the linebacker rotation, with Jacob Manu also mixing in after playing just four games to preserve his eligibility.

But it's not all bad news for Huskies fans. Washington managed to hold onto quarterback Demond Williams Jr. after his brief flirtation with the transfer portal—a major win for the program. They also did an impressive job retaining their core talent, including a trio of Freshman All-Americans: safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, offensive lineman John Mills, and wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck.

"Washington focused on retention and was mostly successful," the ESPN report adds, "bringing back experienced linebacker Jacob Manu, safety Alex McLaughlin, and an offensive line featuring several promising young players and also veterans Drew Azzopardi and Geirean Ha."

While the rankings may sting now, the Huskies' ability to keep key pieces in place—especially their young stars—gives Fisch and his staff a solid foundation to build on. The real test? How this mix of retained talent and new faces comes together when the season kicks off.