The Husky football team went through its sixth annual Husky Combine at the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility yesterday afternoon, and while it wasn’t an actual active media event, Realdawg.com still attended to see how the players are progressing from an athletic level heading into spring ball.
Participants were the current 2019 roster, who went through a series of drills and tests similar to the NFL combine (or Pro-Day). There were some veterans hanging around though, such as Jake Browning and Byron Murphy. So here’s just a quick rundown of what we observed.
Position Groups:
QB: This QB room definitely looks the part as the best in the country. Eason, Sirmon, and Yankoff all look like NFL quarterbacks. Eason moved better than expected and actually is relatively athletic for a QB his size. Yankoff, however, is an elite athlete, and was among the top guys at every drill — regardless of position. He ran a 4.57 40, 4.01 shuttle, and had a 37” vertical.
RB: The RB group has big shoes to fill with Gaskin gone. Salvon Ahmed will have to step up — he definitely has elite speed; ran a 4.33 40 and was explosive with a 37” vertical. Sean McGrew looked like he has bulked up since last season, which could be good as he was a capable inside runner. Kamari Pleasant also looked bigger, but ran well with a 4.6 40.
WR: Ty Jones, Austin Osbourne, and Marquis Spiker are definitely a different class of receiver than we have seen at UW in a while. All three looked big and athletic, Ty Jones had a 37” vertical and Austin Osbourne ran a 4.55 40 yd. dash, both numbers are impressive for receivers their size. Of the smaller receivers Andre Baccellia was the best athlete, he had a 38” vertical and looked fast in the 40 and shuttles. It was also nice to see Chico McClatcher back. He seemed to be healthy and looked strong.
TE: During the combine I had the opportunity to talk to Hunter Bryant’s mom, she said he feels this is the healthiest her son has been in two years. He definitely looked healthy at the combine, running a 4.58 40 yd dash. While the Huskies have struggled a little to recruit elite TEs, they know how to develop them. The group looked big and strong.
OL: This group looked really encouraging; a good mix of big maulers and athletes. Jaxson Kirkland is a monster; huge — but not fat. He looks like Kaleb McGary and he moved well in the shuttle. Troy Fautanu is a great athlete, 28” vertical and moves like he could be ready to play sooner than later. Nick Harris looked strong and explosive. Victor Curne looks like a Nick Harris clone and eventual replacement. Trey Adams looked healthy, had a good vertical and moved well. Julius Beulow is huge for an incoming freshman but still needs to learn to move with that size.
DL: Tuli Letuligasenoa and Sam Taimani could play big roles this year; they look like twins both physically and athleticly. Tuli looked elite in the three-cone for someone his size. Joe Tryon and Myles Rice are both physical freaks; big, strong, and fast. Draco Bynum looked strong and athletic, definitely has been in the weight room, clearly grown in the last year.
LB: Jackson Sirmon looked bigger than expected. Brandon Wellington was the fastest and most explosive linebacker and posted a 37” vertical. Edefuan Ulofoshio (walk on special teamer from last season) stood out athleticallyand it wouldn’t be any surprise to see him earn more playing time and a scholarship.
DB: Keith Taylor is a huge corner; he looks like Ty Jones playing defense. Myles Bryant looked strong and fast. Elijah Molden looks like Myles Bryant with an extra 20 lbs of muscle. Kyler Gordon is the most athletic player on the team, looked very fast, great in the shuttles and posted a truly elite 42.5” vertical.
Final Thoughts
Overall, seeing the combine in person was a real testamant to the efforts of strength coach, Tim Socha. The work he does with the team during the off-season is amazing. Even the freshman are visibly bigger, stronger, and faster. By the time these players are three or four years in they are completely different players athletically. Guys like Chico, Baccellia, and Myles Bryant went from too small to play power 5 football to really strong athletic guys.
There’s a lot to look forward to and watch for when spring ball starts up and these guys start working on the field.
@B_Maney7 with a 37″ vertical #huskycombine pic.twitter.com/wUXwnDRvUB
— Evan Feather (@evanfeather42) March 16, 2019
