The crown jewel of the Chris Petersen and Jimmy Lake era was the secondary. From the 2016 Death Row defense to the 2021 No Fly Zone, the Husky secondary was always the staple of the team. Now, with William Inge running the defense and Chuck Morrell calling plays, will they be able to continue the legacy of DBU on Montlake? They certainly have the talent to do it.
In terms of passing yards allowed, Washington’s secondary was the best it’s ever been in 2021. They finished first in the nation in yards per game allowed through the air, giving up just 143.3 yards per game (we won’t dive into the run statistics from the season). Obviously, under much different circumstances, Fresno State finished tied for 58th in the country in passing yards allowed, giving up 222 yards per game through the air.
Overall, the Bulldogs finished 32nd in team defense, allowing 347.1 yards per game, while the Huskies finished 23rd in the country, giving up 336.9 yards per game. So it’s clear that the scheme that Inge, who will be doing drawing up all the X’s and O’s on defense, works. Now the question is when they add in all the talent that Washington has on the roster on the defensive side of the ball, how high can they fly? Let’s focus on the secondary today, more specifically cornerback, where the Huskies are losing all three starting cornerbacks from 2021 to the NFL Draft.
Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon both seem like locks to go in the top 50 at the very least, and Brendan Radley-Hiles is going to be a steal for a team in the late rounds or as an undrafted free agent. Let’s start with talking about Mishael Powell. He started his first game as a redshirt freshman during the 2021 season and should be penciled in as one of the starters going into spring camp. Powell was placed on scholarship not long after Kalen DeBoer was hired, and should be an impact player this fall. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Inge decided to utilize Powell’s physical presence and big frame in the nickel.
On the outside, the projected starters coming into the spring should be UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman and sophomore Jacobe Covington. Both have the same hard-nosed, press mentality that Powell does, and as of right now, they seem to be the best way to fill the shoes of Gordon and McDuffie on the boundaries. Behind them, it wouldn’t be a shock if redshirt freshmen Elijah Jackson and Zakhari Spears push for playing time, or at the very least into the two-deep this spring.
It should be an open competition come spring ball, and Husky fans should be very excited about the style they’ll see from their corners over the next few seasons. Just like Covington and Perryman, they’re big, physical players who are best getting right up into a receiver’s face. Now, if they prove that they can come downhill and tackle in run support, Washington should continue to have one of the best defenses in the country.
The talent in the room is certainly there to make sure the pass defense continues to be the best in the conference, and now it’s up to the coaching staff to put them in the best positions to succeed.
