9 Important Days in DeBoer's Husky Football Rebuild
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We're a fast-food culture. We don't want to sit in a restaurant and wait for the meal to be made. Just give us a drive-through lane and a burger off the grill as fast as you can and send us down the road.
University of Washington football fans are the same way. Patience has not been a virtue for them in watching a Husky program systematically get put back together again after it was listing badly. They want a quick fix, and they don't want to wait for it.
However, reshaping a college football team, as Kalen DeBoer has demonstrated, is a tedious process. It is a painstaking routine of introducing yourself to everyone you meet, explaining who and what you're all about, and then selling yourself as best you can.
DeBoer first had to see why things didn't work for his predecessor, who was a bit in over his head, with a source just now telling us that Jimmy Lake didn't receive Chris Petersen's recommendation to become his coaching replacement, as everyone thought.
The new staff has had the unpleasant task of telling UW players who didn't fit that they had to leave, with more than one parent reaching out to us to privately complain. But, yes, a number of Lake and even Petersen recruiting mistakes were made.
The hard part for DeBoer's staff is hearing large pockets of the fan base bury their efforts several times over with the announcement of each supposed 3-star commitment, looking only at a number and never questioning the legitimacy of the website grader — that is, until everyone jumped out of his or her skin when highly publicized Texas recruit Anthony James II said Montlake would suit him just fine.
With that in mind, we've come up with nine dates, most of which already have transpired, that clearly chart progress being made or warn of even greater inroads:
Nov. 29, DeBoer Intro — On a Monday, the UW announced DeBoer as the school's 30th football coach. It was telling that Petersen unnoticed slipped into the room, which seemed to be a clear vote of confidence for the new coach. This was first-impression time. After the school previously hired showmen coaches such as Rick Neuheisel, Steve Sarkisian and even Lake, or turned to Petersen who won and didn't stay long enough because of coaching burnout, DeBoer struck just the right chord. He seemed energized and overly genuine, which is how most of his players view him.
Courtney Morgan is off to a good start as the UW recruiting guy.
Dan Raley
Dec. 7, Morgan Hiring — A college program is only as good as its recruiting coordinator and DeBoer went out and hired Courtney Morgan away from Michigan. Big step. Legendary coach Don James had Dick Baird as his chief talent scout. Quick, name the last three UW recruiting coordinators prior to Morgan? Exactly. You can't. Under Morgan's watch, the Huskies have pulled in heavily pursued Texas headliner in Anthony James II and California wide receiver Rashid Williams. Those are statement commitments because image is everything.
Dec. 13, Penix Transfer — This move still flies under the radar some, or simply isn't fully appreciated, but the portal transfer acquisition of Michael Penix Jr. from Indiana gives the Huskies a quarterback who has beaten Michigan and Michigan State on back-to-back weekends, thrown 5 touchdown passes in a game at Ohio State and been a 2020 second-team All-Big Ten selection, ranking only behind the Buckeyes' Justin Fields that year. That's not small potatoes. That's not to say that Dylan Morris and Sam Huard won't accomplish a lot of stuff before they're finished, but Penix already has done it. He has a track record.
Michael Penix Jr. and Dylan Morris are veteran quarterbacks.
Skylar Lin Visuals
Dec. 17, ZTF Promise — To win over the Husky roster, DeBoer needed one of his inherited big-name players, preferably one with All-American ability and certifiable NFL prospects such as Zion Tupuola-Fetui, to step up and say he was staying. ZTF did that and all of a sudden the unease over a new coaching staff began to evaporate.
March 30, Weight Loss Clinic — The Huskies were not a very fit football team in 2021. So when spring football practice began on a Wednesday, 42 of the 104 players on the roster had shed pounds, or 40.1 percent, under the direction of new weight and conditioning coach Ron McKeefery. Ulumoo Ale, who changed positions to the defensive line, was the poster boy for a Husky body makeover, well on his way to 330 pounds in the spring after playing at 368 as an offensive guard.
May 5, Kirkland Clearance — Jaxson Kirkland was a welcome bonus for DeBoer. The sixth-year offensive tackle could have entered the NFL draft each of the past two years, but he received permission from the NCAA to go through a sixth college season and get his reputation right for a pro football payday. He's determined to be a first-round pick. He's a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 selection. Guys like him don't just appear out of nowhere.
The UW hosted Anthony James II and then received a commitment from him.
UW
June 24, Cosmic Commit — Just when UW fans were griping the loudest over the lack of highly decorated recruits, Anthony James II changed everything with his Montlake commitment. The edge rusher provided validation that the new staff can attract elite talent. While nothing is absolutely certain about his immediate playing impact — remember, it's taken one-time 5-star edge rusher Sav'ell Smalls time to adjust to the college level — James' pledge says a lot and came just at the right time. So did his subsequent quote, which he shared with 247Sports, “Until you come here and see the team, the connection to coaches and players, it’s going to be big and I want to be a part of it. I believe in Coach DeBoer.”
Sept. 17, Spartan Existence — In game 3, DeBoer will send his Huskies up against favored Michigan State at Husky Stadium. A victory over this Big Ten team 52 years ago launched Sonny Sixkiller's UW career, made everyone forget a horrid a 1-9 record the season before and had the fan base totally on board with the Huskies. A positive outcome such as that for DeBoer would significantly elevate the new coach and his program in everyone's eyes.
Nov. 12, Oregon Ownership — Sarkisian couldn't beat Oregon. Petersen lost to the Ducks more than he beat them. Lake lost the only game he coached against Oregon and it was his last outing before he was fired in-season. No game on the schedule this coming season is more important to the UW than this late-season visit to Eugene. The Huskies have lost 15 of the past 17 games to their rival, including 12 in a row at one point. They're paying for what Jim Owens and Don James did to the Ducks so long ago (17 wins in 20 games). Maybe DeBoer can even out the playing field again.
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