13 Seniors Who Will Receive a Husky Stadium Send-Off —and How They've Done
One by one late Saturday afternoon, 13 University of Washington seniors will be announced and walk out of the tunnel at Husky Stadium accompanied by their parents or relatives. Some will shed a tear. All will probably feel nostalgic.
Then it will be time to turn their full attention to the 6 p.m. kickoff against Colorado, a last-place Pac-12 team this season that wasn't much better a year ago when it embarrassed the Huskies in Boulder.
Before the UW (8-2 overall, 5-2 Pac-12) gets to business in this final home on the schedule, we'll take a moment to tell you about these 13 guys who each played for Chris Petersen, Jimmy Lake and Kalen DeBoer.
They've experienced ultimate glory with big bowl games, a conference championship and last week's epic win over Oregon. They've suffered through trying moments from a pandemic-altered season in 2020 and an unexpected program crash and burn ignited by Lake's midseason firing in 2021.
"They've done so much, they've accomplished a lot," DeBoer said. "And then they've also got through COVID and a 4-8 season, and here we are 8-2 and it starts with these guys. It starts with their resiliency, their attitude and just how passionate they are about Husky football."
Some hardly played, others got hurt, still others are playing a sixth season of college football. That's a lot bumps and bruises along the way. A lot of practices in the rain and shivering cold.
Probably all 13 of these Huskies, no matter how much they played or excelled, will tell you it was all worth it. We break them down in alphabetical order:
13 DEPARTING HUSKIES
Henry Bainivalu, OG — This sixth-year player has appeared in 42 UW games, starting 28 consecutive outings, the latter figure more than any other teammate. He was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2020. He actually surprised DeBoer by returning for another season.
Cam Bright, LB — The Pittsburgh transfer has started all 10 games for the UW this season, with a top game of 10 tackles against Oregon State. He's a team captain. At Pitt, he appeared in 52 games and started 20 of them, giving him 62 college appearances altogether. He's been a stopgap replacement for the injured Edefuan Ulofoshio.
Alex Cook, S — He came to the Huskies as a wide receiver and started the 2019 Rose Bowl as a redshirt freshman against Ohio State. Making the move to safety, he's now collectively played in 50 career games and started 23 for the UW. He's a team captain this season. His leadership more than his pass-coverage abilities will be remembered most.
Gage Harty, ER — This 6-foot-4, 247-pound Spokane product joined the UW as a defensive lineman before switching to edge rusher. He's played five seasons and made his only game-day experience against Portland State earlier this season, giving him a lasting memory.
Peyton Henry, PK — This sixth-year player has been the No. 1 kicker for five seasons. He's converted 67 of 83 field goals, with a long of 50 yards against UCLA this season. His last-second kicks decided both the Oregon State and Oregon games over the past two weeks. He was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2019. He's been selected as the Pac-12 Special-Teams Player of the Week four times, three times this season. He's become a highly dependable player.
Brennan Holmes, WR — This Seattle product has played two seasons for the Huskies as a walk-on and an upperclassman. He got on the field for his first and only game appearance against Portland State. He caught a pass that day for 15 yards, likewise giving him a story to tell forever.
Jaxson Kirkland, OG — In his sixth season, and fifth as a starter, he's opened every game he's played for the Huskies at guard and tackle, which is 46 and counting. He's a team captain. He has no shortage of league honors, earning two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 and honorable-mention All-Pac-12 accolades. The son of former Husky offensive guard Dean Kirkland, he's been an exceedingly loyal player to the program. He'll be an NFL draft pick.
LUCKY 13 FOR UW
Corey Luciano, C — He came to the Huskies as a junior-college transfer and was turned into a short-yardage blocking tight end. He's since filled in at tackle and guard, before DeBoer made him a center. He's started all 10 games this season and has appeared in 32 overall in four UW seasons. On Monday, he was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Oregon. He made patience pay off for him.
Jeremiah Martin, ER — Martin has had a career reawakening at the UW after leaving Texas A&M, becoming a full-time starter for all 10 games this season, and a starter in 11 of 21 overall outings. Prior to that, he appeared in 32 games for the SEC team as a reserve and special-teams player. He's a team captain and earlier this season was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. A change of scenery was the best thing for him.
Kris Moll, LB — The UAB transfer has played in all 10 games for the Huskies and continually supplied more and more production. At his previous stop, he started in 21 of 51 games and twice was named first-team All-Conference USA selection. Add up his school totals, and Moll has 61 college football games under his belt. Recently making big plays, the Pac-12 has been a bit of adjustment for him, but he didn't back down.
Jordan Perryman, CB — The hard-luck cornerback has started seven times for the Huskies and twice had to leave games with injuries and he missed three other outings altogether. He came to the UW from UC Davis, where he twice was named a first-team All-Big Sky selection. He played 42 games for the FCS team and started 34. If only he could have been healthy more of the season for the UW.
Kevin Ryan, P — Ryan arrived as a scholarship player at the UW from Idaho State, where he averaged 45.6 yards per punt and was named All-Big Sky honorable mention. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't beat out redshirt freshman Jack McCallister, a walk-on who plays without a scholarship. Ryan has been in uniform for every game but he hasn't got in a UW game yet. No doubt it's been tough for him.
Wayne Taulapapa, RB — After five seasons with Virginia, Taulapapa transferred to the UW to finish out his college career. The Honolulu product is a team captain who's started 9 of 10 games for the Huskies. He leads the team in rushing with 546 yards on 102 carries and has run for 7 touchdowns. He's also caught 20 passes for 199 yards and another score. Highly reliable, he's done everything the UW coaching staff expected from him.
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