A primary goal of all athletes, no matter the sport or the level of competition, is to make the most of opportunities when they come their way. For former Emerald Ridge High School standout Denzel Boston, the 2024 Washington Huskies football season was a prime example of an opportunity presented and firmly taken. 

Boston has played three seasons at the University of Washington, including a four-game debut with one start and one touchdown in 2022. 

The Boise, Idaho native made further inroads in the Huskies program during the 2023 season when he appeared in 14 contests with one start as UW advanced to the NCAA Division I title game. On a team that saw its top three receivers get selected in early rounds of the NFL draft, Boston finished with five receptions for 51 yards in addition to returning five punts for 28 yards. 

Boston’s big opportunity came following the 2024 NFL draft when Washington’s top three wide receivers - Rome Odunze (ninth overall pick), Ja’Lynn Polk (37th overall pick), and Jalen McMillan (92nd overall pick) - all left to play in the National Football League. The trio had combined for 206 receptions, 3,358 yards, and 27 touchdowns during the 2023 season, led by consensus All-American Odunze with 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 scores. 

With the Huskies needing to fill big holes in the receivers' room, Boston seized his opportunity as a junior. A large target at 6-4 and 209 pounds, Boston led the Huskies with 807 receiving yards and nine touchdowns while finishing second on the team with 60 receptions. He also returned 11 punts for 80 yards.  

Boston’s nine touchdown receptions during the 2024 campaign are tied for eighth-most in single-season UW history. He set a career high of nine receptions (for 99 yards) against Southern Cal, and established his career single-game best with 125 receiving yards with two touchdowns on six receptions against Rutgers.  

In the Huskies’ first season in the Big Ten, Boston was named honorable mention all-league by both the coaches and the media.  

Boston drew the interest of many NCAA Division I football programs coming out of Emerald Ridge High School. 

In four varsity football seasons at ER, Boston caught 105 passes for 1,572 yards and 23 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-South Puget Sound League recognition and was ER’s Offensive Player of the Year following his junior and senior seasons, when he compiled a combined 70 receptions for 1,101 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 2020 junior campaign, shortened to five games by Covid, saw Boston pile up 34 catches for 553 yards and seven scores. 

ESPN ranked Boston as the nation’s No. 71 wide receiver coming out of high school. 

In addition to his football exploits, Boston also competed in the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter relay, and the triple jump for the Jaguars track & field program. 

The 2025 University of Washington football season will surely present another significant opportunity for Boston, and as he has throughout his athletic career, it would seem to be a given that he will make the most of it.