Washington Husky freshman WR Raiden Vines-Bright to enter transfer portal

On Saturday, Raiden Vines-Bright finally caught his first touchdown as a Husky. 

With 1:15 remaining in the first half and Washington at Boise State’s 3-yard line, sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. lofted a pass toward the back-left corner of the end zone. Vines-Bright, who’d created some separation from Bronco safety Zion Washington, simply had to let the ball fall into his outstretched arms for the score. 

Despite playing more than 400 offensive snaps as a true freshman in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, Vines-Bright hadn’t reached the end zone until the very final game. He spun the ball before leaping to chest bump junior wide receiver Denzel Boston in celebration. 

It turns out, Vines-Bright’s LA Bowl touchdown will be the only one of his UW career. 

Vines-Bright, the 6-foot, 200-pound true freshman wide receiver who started 12 games for Washington in 2025, announced Wednesday he will enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2, according to posts on his social media accounts. He’s the ninth Husky to declare intentions to exit the program and the first bona fide starter. Vines-Bright will have three years of eligibility remaining. 

It was an interesting 12 months at Washington for Vines-Bright. A three-star recruit, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, he emerged as a high-level FBS prospect at Corona del Sol High in Tempe, Ariz., before transferring to football powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior season. 

A broken collarbone, however, derailed his senior season and Vines-Bright ultimately played in just two games at IMG Academy before enrolling early at UW in January. He was hampered by minor injuries throughout spring practices, before enjoying a strong performance in Washington’s spring game to put himself in a position to potentially contribute as a true freshman. 

His momentum continued into fall camp, where Vines-Bright continued to play well — primarily filling for the injured Boston at the X-receiver spot. But after Boston’s return shortly before camp ended, Vines-Bright moved to the slot where he competed with sophomore Audric Harris, junior Kevin Green Jr. and senior Omari Evans, a Penn State transfer, for UW’s final starting receiver spot. 

Vines-Bright ultimately won the competition. He was named a starter alongside Boston and sophomore Rashid Williams for UW’s season-opening win against Colorado State Aug. 30, making his first catch for a 1-yard gain. 

He maintained his starting spot throughout the season, only missing one game after suffering a concussion against Purdue Nov. 15. Vines-Bright finished his freshman season with 24 catches for 238 yards receiving and a touchdown — sixth among UW’s receivers behind Boston, fellow freshman Dezmen Roebuck, sophomore tight end Decker DeGraaf, senior running back Jonah Coleman and Evans, who finished the season with 143 fewer offensive snaps. 

Vines-Bright is the second wide receiver to announce his intentions to transfer after Harris. 

Washington’s receiver group is still strong despite Vines-Bright’s departure. Along with a potential final season for Boston, UW will get Rashid Williams back from the collarbone and hand injuries that effectively ended his season. Redshirt freshman Justice Williams, a former composite four-star prospect, is also expected to return from his toe injury. 

Additionally, UW still has Green, a former Arizona transfer, on its roster and four of Vines-Bright’s fellow freshmen: Roebuck, Chris Lawson, Deji Ajose and Marcus Harris. Lawson and Marcus Harris were both composite four-star prospects. 

And the Huskies are welcoming another big class of wide receivers who signed as part of UW’s 2026 recruiting class: Madison High of San Antonio’s Jordan Clay, West Monroe High’s Trez Davis, Norman North High’s Mason James and Lincoln-Way East High’s Blaise LaVista. 

Clay, a former Baylor commit; Davis, a former Tulane pledge and James, the composite top recruit in Oklahoma, are all composite four-star prospects. LaVista’s high levels of production at a smaller Illinois high school before he transferred to Lincoln-Way East also make him a similar prospect to Roebuck, who finished the season with 560 yards receiving. More than double Vines-Bright’s first-season statistics.