Washington Huskies lose center Zachary Henning, safety Vincent Holmes to transfer portal

For the second consecutive day, Washington lost a lineman with some significant starting experience. 

Zachary Henning, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound sophomore center who started UW’s final four games of the 2025 season, announced he intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2 in a post on his social media accounts Wednesday. He’s the seventh UW player to head to the transfer portal, making his announcement less than a day after the Huskies lost junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler. 

He has two years of eligibility remaining after playing in 28 career games at UW. 

“The last three years have been incredibly special,” Henning wrote, “and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this program.”

Henning arrived at Washington before the 2023 season out of Grandview High in Aurora, Colo. after signing for former UW coach Kalen DeBoer. He played in two games as a true freshman, both at left guard, while redshirting as part of the Husky team that reached the College Football Playoff.

He began the transition to center during spring practices under newly arrived coach Jedd Fisch and offensive line coach Brennan Carroll. Henning was one of the seven available offensive linemen for Fisch’s first spring practice session, and played snaps at both guard spots and jumbo tight end during his redshirt freshman season. 

Henning was firmly established as the second-team center for new offensive line coach Michael Switzer, behind junior Landen Hatchett, entering the 2025 season. He filled in again briefly at tight end during UW’s 42-25 win against Illinois after seventh-year tight end Quentin Moore’s concussion against Michigan. 

And after Hatchett suffered a hand injury against Illinois that resulted in the Ferndale native wearing a ball cast on his regular snapping hand, Henning took over center duties partway through UW’s shock 13-10 loss against Wisconsin, playing 45 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Henning started UW’s final four games — against UCLA, Purdue, No. 5 Oregon and the LA Bowl versus Boise State — and played admirably outside of a few snapping errors as he got accustomed to the starting role. 

He allowed just three pressures all season — with two coming against Oregon — and no sacks while committing just one penalty. PFF graded Henning as UW’s second-highest rated run blocker in 2025 and its seventh-highest rated offensive player during the LA Bowl. 

“I want to give a special thank you to Coach Fisch, Coach (Switzer), Coach (Scott Huff), and Coach DeBoer for believing in me and teaching me so much along the way,” Henning wrote. “I also want to thank the trainers, the strength coaches and academic support staff for investing in me and helping me grow as a player and person.” 

Despite his strong end of the season, Henning faced a significant challenge to earn starting snaps in 2026. Hatchett, a team captain in 2025, is expected to be healthy after undergoing surgery on Dec. 4, and will likely retain his starting spot at center. 

UW’s competition for snaps at guard will be even fiercer. John Mills and Paki Finau will both be sophomores in 2026, while Champ Taulealea will be a redshirt freshman with two full offseasons of preparation. Starting right guard Geirean Hatchett received a medical redshirt for a seventh season shortly before the LA Bowl, Fisch announced after the game. He will return to UW for his final season of football. 

And that doesn’t include incoming 247Sports composite five-star prospect Kodi Greene, who is expected to compete for a starting spot as well. Henning, with solid game tape proving he can play center at the Big Ten level, will leave in search of a starting role somewhere else. 

However, Henning’s departure also raises serious questions about who will be the second-team center behind Landen Hatchett. Walk-on sophomore Parker Cross generally took snaps as UW’s third-team center during spring practices, and Fisch has repeatedly said he envisions former Kennedy Catholic standout Lowen Colman-Brusa as a center going forward.

“The friendships I’ve made here will last a lifetime,” Henning wrote, “ and I’ll always be grateful to have shared the field and locker room with you all.” 

Sophomore safety also hits transfer portal

Henning wasn’t the only player from UW’s 2023 recruiting class to announce intentions to enter the transfer portal. 

Sophomore safety Vincent Holmes will also depart, according to posts on his social media accounts. A composite four-star prospect out of San Jacinto High in California’s Inland Empire, Holmes registered two tackles in 2025 after primarily playing special teams snaps. He’s the eighth UW player to enter the transfer portal and will have two years of eligibility remaining. 

Holmes played in 29 games during his time at UW, with his most significant snaps coming against Oregon in 2025, when he played 52 snaps, according to PFF while filling in for injured sixth-year safety Makell Esteen. 

But Holmes is perhaps most known for errantly stepping on the field while celebrating a blocked field goal against Rutgers on Sept. 27, 2024 despite the ball still being in play. The penalty he received gave the Scarlet Knights the ball back, and they immediately scored a touchdown to help beat the Huskies 21-18 in Piscataway, N.J. 

Holmes entered spring practices as UW’s second-choice post safety behind veteran safety CJ Christian. But junior Alex McLaughlin’s emergence at box safety and Esteen’s move to post safety moved Holmes and Christian back in the pecking order. 

Christian was later ruled out for the season with a turf toe injury, and they were both then passed by incoming freshman Rylon Dillard-Allen, who played 277 more snaps than Holmes. Dillard-Allen and McLaughlin seem set to be UW’s starting safety tandem in 2026, but Holmes might’ve seen snaps in the frequently used third safety role where defensive coordinator Ryan Walters utilized Dillard-Allen throughout the 2025 season. 

Washington will be light on post safeties following Holmes’ decision to transfer. Rahim Wright II will return from injury after missing the entire season with an upper body injury, but redshirt freshman Paul Mencke Jr. and incoming freshman Gavin Day seem more likely to play box safety because of their physical builds.