As UW Welcomes an Army of New Corners, Don't Forget About Irvin

Cornerback Julius Irvin, son of the NFL's legendary LeRoy Irvin, just sort of quietly disappeared this past season from the University of Washington football team — and, according to his coaches, he was a huge loss.

Much was made about Irvin being inserted on the fly during the second half of the season opener against Kent State to replace the injured Jordan Perryman and how he held up under this undue challenge.

Unlike his famous father, Irvin was a safety who hadn't played corner before for the Huskies; he had only talked about doing it with his UW coaches in practice.

Yet there he was shoved out on the field, this converted defensive back suddenly starting a combined four games in place of Perryman and then for the other starting cornerback Misheal Powell, who was injured, as well.

And then Irvin was gone without much explanation after game 6 against Arizona State,

"The one hidden one, and they know the name but probably didn't realize the impact he had, but Juice Irvin came in and started a couple of games for us," UW co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said at the Alamo Bowl. "He played pretty well for us early in the season and then tried to grind through a really hard injury and then we lost him for the season. I think that definitely played a big impact."

Unlike the NFL and the days of college football gone past, today's coaching staffs, and this includes Kalen DeBoer's, go to great lengths to avoid talking about injuries in any detailed manner. Players just slink or limp into the background as if they don't exist.

Irvin, a 6-foot-1, 179-pound senior from Anaheim, California, recently was spotted during the Alamo Bowl postgame celebration in San Antonio, as shown in the accompanying photo, standing in the confetti falling from the stadium ceiling while wearing a heavy black brace on his left elbow. He's in recovery still.

People continually question why the UW secondary was so inept at times this past season, especially against Arizona State in the 45-38 loss. Irvin's absence is part of the answer.

Once the cornerback starters were out or not at full strength, and Irvin was lost for the season in that Sun Devils game, as well as well-targeted redshirt freshman corner Davon Banks later on, the Huskies often had to rely on younger players who typically were third-stringers when the depth chart was up to strength.

Young corners were targeted and exploited during real time rather than in practice.

Irvin initially was a ready fix, playing exceedingly well in a 39-28 victory over Michigan State in the third game of the season at Husky Stadium. He came up with an interception on a fourth-quarter ball that he took away from receiver Germie Bernard, who has since transferred to the UW and will be a teammate, had a pass break-up and provided a pair of tackles against the Spartans.

That performance alone endeared him to the DeBoer coaching staff as someone they can work with and depend on.

While the Huskies have gone out and signed nearly a half dozen new cornerbacks from the high school ranks and transfer portal, Irvin from that famous football family — his father played a decade in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions and ran up unreal pass defensive stats — similarly will be welcomed like a newcomer who can help back there.

"It sounds like right now he's going to be back for us," Morrell said. "I'd be super excited to get him back playing for us because he showed some really strong flashes there at the outset. I think about the Michigan State game in specific. He played really well in the Michigan State game."

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