Sights and Sounds of Practice No. 7: Bruener Banged Up and Sidelined

The linebacker became the first starter hurt during spring drills.

As spring ball closed in on its halfway point, the University of Washington football team has avoided the serious practice-related injury that sent edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui and linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala to surgery a year ago to repair Achilles tendon tears.

Yet for practice No. 7 on Wednesday, sophomore inside linebacker Carson Bruener missed the session as the first potential starter player to get banged up this spring. He was relegated to the sideline in sweats while he limped around.

Midway through the workout, Bruener emerged from the training room with an all-star cast of UW players who were injured last season or during winter workouts.

Among them were senior offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, sophomore defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele, junior linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and junior running back Richard Newton and sophomore runner Cam Davis. 

Walk-on running back Cam Sirmon also remains out after getting helped off the field in practice last week.

Kirkland, still awaiting an NCAA decision on whether he can play a sixth season, went without a protective boot on his foot for the first time this spring, making progress there. 

Tuitele, who started four games last season, is relegated to riding a scooter and wearing a boot himself as he recovers from his injury.

Personnel Moves 

In the limited 11-on-11 drills available for media viewing over the first hour, the Huskies did some mixing and matching with players, inserting linebacker Cam Bright, cornerback Jacobe Covington, safety Cam Williams and Tupuola-Fetui with the No. 1 defense.

Swapping out a couple of positions thereafter, the coaching staff made the interesting substitution of defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi and linebacker Daniel Heimuli for the hybrid Husky role for Dominique Hampton and Bright, who filled in for Bruener.

Offensively, redshirt freshman Roger Rosengarten got some reps at No. 1 right tackle, taking over for junior Matteo Mele.

Hands-on 

Coach Kalen DeBoer spends a lot more time with the Husky offense than the other units. Twice, he was seen offering lengthy instruction to redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Huard while working on his footwork.

Gladiator Drill

Husky linemen were tasked with going one on one in a drill that almost resembled Sumo wrestlers, where it lasted until someone overpowered the other or ended up in a draw. As shown in the accompanying video, it's an interesting competition to watch. 

Practice Penalties 

The Huskies have a poster hanging from a lower stadium wall near the tunnel that is titled T.N.T., which stands for "Takes No Talent" and is meant to keep the players focused on doing things right. They have to run over and touch it for a misstep. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. did this after arriving a minute late to practice. So did sophomore wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk, who ran a wrong route.

For dropped passes, fumbles or other more grievous plays, UW players have to crawl from sideline to sideline, clutching a football in both hands, following practice, which is no easy task.

Numbers Game

Wide receiver Giles Jackson, who last year became the first UW football player to wear No. 0, initially changed his jersey to 8 this spring before having second thoughts and reclaiming 0. No explanation was given for his number swapping. 

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