5 Takeaways So Far From Husky Fall Camp
They come off the line of scrimmage, pushing and shoving every time, neither player willing to back down in the open spaces of Husky Stadium.
Rome Odunze against Jordan Perryman.
This has been one of the classic battles over the first four days of University of Washington fall camp, a fierce competition playing out daily in the secondary.
It's the Huskies' leading returning receiver against the new guy from the Big Sky.
One player trying to put the other in his place and the other playing tough.
While Odunze is a proven Pac-12 commodity, the 6-foot, 202-pound Perryman comes with plenty of swagger and appears to have established himself as the best UW coverage man out there.
The defensive back almost took it as an affront when asked if he, the new guy, expected to be sorely tested this season. Not beat, but challenged. After all, Perryman is trying to show he can be a suitable replacement for the highly accomplished Trent McDuffie or Kyler Gordon, now in the NFL.
"If they watch film, they've seen where I was before and what I did," the UC Davis transfer said. "Yeah, it's a different conference, but playing football is playing football. I hope to have a little respect on it."
Perryman represents one of five scenarios falling into place as DeBoer puts together his first Montlake team. The level of resistance put up by the rebuilt secondary might be the UW's biggest concern entering the coming season because it has four new starters. Perryman should help ease the transition.
Who's QB-1?
Long touchdown passes are one thing, with each of the three starting quarterback contestants launching them in practice using DeBoer's spread offense. Cool in the pocket is another.
Michael Penix Jr. clearly tops Dylan Morris and Sam Huard in this category so far. The Indiana transfer steps up in the pocket better than his fellow QB candidates and has a variety of throwing motions when under pressure, including sidearm, to get rid of the ball.
Morris appears skittish and breaks off a lot of passing plays, maybe still a little gun-shy after leading the Pac-12 in interceptions last season. Huard has a classic throwing motion, but he forces the ball much too often.
Unless DeBoer changes his mind and accelerates the process, the quarterback competition will play out for another week. At this point, Penix holds a big lead.
Ulofoshio's Stand-In
Of all of the inside linebackers, Pittsburgh transfer Cam Bright has been the most impressive so far. He brings what the highly accomplished yet injured Edefuan Ulofoshio supplied to the Husky defense: Speed, smarts and toughness.
DeBoer readily has noted the similarities between Bright and the sidelined Ulofoshio and the connection they've made. These players have bonded like brothers, watch film together and continually encourage each other while one transitions to Seattle and a new team and the other rehabs from knee surgery.
A personal goal should be for these two to play side by side at some point later this season, though Ulofoshio is not expected back until deep into the schedule. Bright will hold down the defense in his absence.
Putting Miles on Giles
Unable to establish himself as a receiver for long at Michigan or with Jimmy Lake's Husky staff, Giles Jackson has been rewarded with plenty of opportunity from DeBoer's crew. He's run crisp routes and made the acrobatic catch. He's had two standout practices among the four.
The new UW coaches intend to put the ball in his hands as much as possible in a variety of ways.
Jackson won't unseat Jalen McMillan, Ja'Lynn Polk or Odunze as a Husky wideout starter, but he's put himself in position to play a lot more and become a key contributor. The coaches are high on his ability to cut in the open field rather than the flat-out speed that enabled Jackson to score on 95- and 97-yard kickoff returns in the Big Ten.
Banks in Reserve
If Mishael Powell or Perryman stumble at all coming out of the blocks as the starting corners, redshirt freshman Davon Banks is poised for playing time. He's proof DBU didn't necessarily leave when Jimmy Lake did. He's a Husky defensive-back standout in the making.
During UW spring practice, Banks surprised the DeBoer staff with his natural playmaking ability, in particular coming up with a pair of interceptions in a scrimmage. He had another set of picks on Sunday, four overall in fall camp, and seemingly is always around the football.
Banks might have to wait for Perryman to use up his eligibility in order to earn a starting job, but he'll play a lot this season and shouldn't need long to create a turnover.
"It seems like the ball is either finding [Banks] or he’s finding the ball, however you want to look at it," DeBoer said of the young corner.
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