Going into spring practice the Huskies are loaded at some positions and full of question marks at others. We preview each position with a confidence level for the depth at each spot.
Quarterback – Confidence Level: 8
Unlike most teams who lost their starting quarterback this winter, the Huskies still have one who has started a full year of Power 5 football in Georgia transfer Jacob Eason. While Chris Petersen may not announce him as the starting quarterback until later this spring it’s hard to imagine him not pulling away in the coming weeks. The real question is how the depth chart will shake out behind him and with the Huskies already securing commitments for their QB’s for 2020 and 2021 you wonder if there could be a transfer if someone falls behind. Jake Haener was good in mop-up duty against North Dakota but not so much in the upset loss at California. Jacob Sirmon and Colson Yankoff were rated similarly out of high school in 2018 and this spring we could figure out which one is further ahead than the other. Yankoff was a standout at the combine showing athleticism standard for a wide receiver or cornerback rather than a QB.
Running Back – Confidence Level 7
Myles Gaskin was about as consistent of a running back as there was with four straight years of 1,250 or more yards and 10 touchdowns. Salvon Ahmed is likely to take over but there are some fans who are down on Ahmed because of suspect running between the tackles and his tendency to dance a bit before getting up field. I’m not ready to put him on that level yet but Husky fans of the 90’s would remember Napolean Kaufman would sometimes take the scenic route to the end zone. I also think as a number one option you may see a different Ahmed this spring. Instead of getting a carry here he would start to get successive carries which only increases his chance of popping a big one. Juniors Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant are well-experienced backups. Redshirt freshman Richard Newton was signed without much fanfare a year ago, it would be nice if he could flash this spring since every scholarship running back besides him is a Junior.
Receiver – Confidence Level 5
The Huskies have 10 scholarship receivers returning, an abnormally high number at one position. The critics will point out not a single one of them has proven themselves. The hope is that seniors Aaron Fuller, Chico McClatcher or Andre Baccellia can be reliable options for Eason. Junior Ty Jones is my breakout candidate, his game is vertical routes which conflicted with Jake Browning whose strengths were intermediate and timing patterns. Eason made a killing on seam and fade routes his freshman year at Georgia, and Jones should be a willing target.
The Huskies have several redshirt freshman and sophomores who are sight unseen. Trey Lowe, Austin Osborne, Marquis Spiker and Terrell Bynum weren’t really given a chance to show what they can do last year. With a new wide receiver coach in Junior Adams who is unlikely to have any loyalties to holdovers, this spring is a huge opportunity for them.
Tight End – Confidence Level 9
Even with the graduation of the reliable Drew Sample, the Huskies have several good options coming back at tight end. Hunter Bryant is the healthiest he’s been in a while and he’s another one who would benefit from a stronger armed QB since the seam route requires some mustard on it. Jacob Kizer is a strong blocker in the mold of Sample and 2017 starter Will Dissly. Cade Otton was also productive a year ago showing proficiency as both a blocker and receiver. Redshirt freshman Devin Culp out of Spokane will hopefully be another in a long line of solid players at the position.
Offensive Line – Confidence Level 8
Injuries have ravaged the line much of the last two years but the unintended benefit has been the depth that it has created. All Pac-12 center Nick Harris is back and should be the rock of the line. Trey Adams, a former 2nd team AP All-American returns. His performance last year was okay but you could tell he’s still working his way back to being the elite player he was as a sophomore. Junior Luke Wattenberg returns at left guard. Sophomore Jaxon Kirkland was good as a freshman but the hope is he can make the same jump to stand-out as a sophomore that Harris did. Jared Hilbers started much of last year at left tackle is the early favorite to take over at right tackle but he’ll have competition. Utility lineman Henry Roberts is back and can play guard and tackle. The Huskies will likely start three seniors this year so it will be important to develop players like sophomores Henry Bainivalu, Chase Skuza, Cole Nargaard and freshman Matteo Mele, Victor Curne and MJ Ale as the next generation of hogs.
Defensive Line – Confidence Level 6
The Huskies have an abundance of talent on the defensive line but experience is lacking. Levi Onwuzurike has been productive in his two years and is probably the best bet to make an All-Conference team. The Huskies have two highly rated linemen from 2018 in Sam Taimani and Tuli Letuligasenoa coming off of redshirts and my colleague Evan Feather noted their physical development at the Husky Combine.. Benning Potoa’e is an outside linebacker no more, now listed as a DL on the official roster. The former 4 star recruit has been a bit underwhelming in 40 career games with just 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The hope is that with his hand on the ground now he can maybe help the Huskies get their best 11 players on the field. Keep an eye on true freshman Jacob Bandes who was a top recruit nationally and enrolled early, with so many DL signings in this class some of them will probably play right away to balance out the graduation years.
Inside Linebackers – Confidence Level 5
The Huskies have a solid returner in Brandon Wellington. After the former 4 star was quiet much of his first two years he flashed in the Apple Cup and Rose Bowl with 15 tackles and is the best bet to take Ben Burr-Kirven’s role. DJ Beavers is only three months removed from a significant injury in the Rose Bowl so he may not be heard from this spring. The Huskies would love it if Kyler Manu could pull a Psalm Wooching of a few years ago. Wooching was a special teams player/backup much of his career before breaking out as a senior.
Jackson Sirmon and MJ Tafisi are coming off of redshirts and will get plenty of extra reps with Beavers out. The Huskies don’t have any sophomore inside linebackers so finding some up and comers at the position will be important this spring.
Outside Linebacker – Confidence Level 5
With Potoa’e moving to the line you imagine the coaches have to feel good about all they have coming back at outside linebacker. No one graduated and the team is hopeful Ryan Bowman can rebound from an injury-plagued 2018 after he led the team in sacks in 2017. Joe Tyron (6’5″, 267) stands to benefit from Poto’ae’s move and you hope he can be the quick-twitch pass rusher the Huskies haven’t had since Ha’oli Kikaha graduated. Ariel Ngata had some moments last year as a redshirt freshman.
Cornerback – Confidence Level 7
Myles Bryant is the only returning starter in the secondary. Due to his height (5’8″) he’s played almost exclusively in the slot as the nickel corner but if he’s the best corner on the roster you wonder if the team will experiment with him playing outside in the rare instances they align in a 3-4 rather than a 2-4-5 or 3-3-5.
Keith Taylor and Elijah Molden could have redshirted but forced their way onto the field two years ago. The hope is that as juniors they are able to join the starting ranks. Redshirt freshman Kyler Gordon was one of the stars of the Husky combine. Jimmy Lake has been stockpiling 4 star cornerbacks for years, I remember some trepidation when Budda Baker, Sidney Jones and Kevin King all left for the NFL at the same time but Lake coached up guys like Byron Murphy and Jordan Miller and the rest is history. Can he do it again?
Safety – Confidence Level 2
This is probably the biggest concern on the whole roster. Rapp was essentially a 3 year starter and was extremely durable and reliable until he missed the Rose Bowl and the first half gave us a preview of what life would be like without him. In the second-half Brandon McKinney stepped up a bit and the hope is he can build on that. Isaiah Gilchrist was a 4 star recruit out of Bellevue and played a bit as a redshirt freshman but either due to injury or being in the dog house only played three games last season. They are the only returning scholarship safeties. Redshirt sophomore Alex Cook announced on Twitter he was moving to safety and considering the Huskies have just three scholarship safeties returning versus 10 receivers I think he made a wise choice. True freshman Cameron Williams is an early enrollee and considering the lack of depth at his position he has a path to the two-deep. At 6’2”, 200 pounds if he doesn’t land at cornerback I think RS freshman Dominique Hampton could be an option here. Julius Irvin could play corner or safety but I think out of need he will be a free safety considering his excellent range.
Special Teams – Confidence Level 4
It’s hard to gather too much about special teams in the spring due to the lack of intensity and teams consciousness of the higher rate of injuries in kickoffs and punts. The Huskies have both punters back but a huge weapon they’re losing is Jake Browning who had some great pooch punts to pin opponents inside their 20. After only having two punts go for touchbacks in 2017, Race Porter and Joel Whitford combined for 6 in 2018. The kicking competition won’t really heat up until freshman Tim Horn shows up in the fall but the hope is Peyton Henry and Van Soderberg can make him earn the job by showing some consistency after some hiccups the last two years.
After being spoiled by Dante Pettis for four years the Huskies didn’t have any big plays in the return game a year ago. While Aaron Fuller on punts and Sean McGrew on kickoffs give a reliable pair of hands, the Huskies could use a game breaker in the return game.
NOTE: This is all subject to change in terms of the roster and possible attrition.
