Here's Why UW Thinks Its Defense Will Be Better

No one said this out loud last season, but the University of Washington defense just wasn't very good.

While then senior linebacker Carson Bruener and since departed cornerback Thaddeus Dixon did their best to make plays, and each received Big Ten accolades verifying as much, the Husky stop unit really got lit up over the last half of the 2024 season.

In a seven-game stretch, the UW gave up 40, 31, 35, 49 and 35 points.

Husky defensive coordinator Steve Belichick left for North Carolina to join his father's staff rather than continue to build his own football identity and everyone in Montlake wished him well, but didn't make a big push to talk him out of it.

The infusion of a new leader, new personnel and new ideas were needed for the next UW defense to be much more competitive in the Big Ten.

On the surface, the Husky defense seems to be upgraded across the board by hiring Ryan Walters, the former Purdue head coach, to run it; coming up with eight new UW starters -- five from the transfer portal -- since the last outing at the Sun Bowl against Louisville; and incorporating more schemes, such as a five-man line, one-linebacker alignment, to keep people guessing.

Still the question persists: will these Huskies, especially up front, consistently be able to stop opposing offenses?

Jacob Lane gets in a stance in this Dempsey Indoor practice. | Skylar Lin Visuals

"I've been in this conference for a number of years now," said Walters, who comes with a defensive reputation earned from time spent at Illinois and Missouri. "I've been on a team that had the best defense in the conference.

"So I feel like I've seen sort of what good D-line play looks like, what the body types look like, what type of depth allows you success -- and I feel we check a lot of those boxes here."

The next move for Walters and his players will be to prove it in real time, especially when the big boys such as those from Ohio State come to Seattle in late September and dare people to try and tackle them.

Asked if any defensive questions remain entering a new season -- especially with senior corner Ephesians Prysock the only returning full-time starter, much like linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala was the year before -- coach Jedd Fisch said having more experienced players gives him reason for optimism.

"The biggest difference really for us this year than last year is a lot of the guys who got a lot reps last year are now playing versus the guys we had a year ago who didn't have a lot of reps on defense," he said, naming defensive tackles Elinneus Davis and Bryce Butler and edge rusher Jacob Lane as battle-tested examples.

Zach Durfee (4) celebrates with Carson Bruener (42) against Weber State. | Skylar Lin Visuals

The biggest defensive change is the healthy return of Zach Durfee. He's an NFL player in the making, who returns looking to get a full year in for the first time with the Huskies. He's a team captain. He's potentially a playmaker like no other on the defense.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pound senior edge rusher comes off a lost season limited to six games, many of them brief appearances, and just three starts in 2024 because of turf-toe injuries. But that's old news now.

"Durfee is healthy so Durfee should start," Fisch said.

The UW front six or seven actually are all new from the end of last season. Durfee and Lane will start at the edges. Western Michigan transfer Anterio Thompson and Arizona transfer Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei are new No. 1 interior linemen. WSU transfer Buddah Al-Uqdah, a 21-game career starter, and newly promoted Husky Deven Bryant are new linebackers.

Arizona cornerback transfer Tacario Davis and Northern Arizona transfer Alex McLaughlin, all-conference players from the Big 12 and Big Sky, are new secondary starters. They have 22 and 24 career starts at their previous stops, respectively.

Tacario Davis (8) and Ephesians Prysock (7) played together at Arizona and have been reunited as UW corners. | Skylar Lin Visuals

All that's left from the starters at the Sun Bowl are Prysock, a senior and a 29-game starting cornerback in his career; senior Makell Esteen, a seven-game career starter at free safety, including five coming last season, and nickelback Leroy Bryant, who opened at cornerback in El Paso for his lone career start.

Yes, with a combined 83 starts among the five players, the secondary should know what it's doing at all times.

Regardless of the talent level, though, the Husky defense still is going through an enormous amount of change and putting extra pressure on newcomers such as Anterio Thompson, in particular, to make plays up front that weren't made in 2024.

The lineup is set, but it's a group operating without an identity. No Purple Reign, no Death Row Dawgs, just a low-key confidence level surrounding this Husky defense before the reviews begin trickling in.

"What my eyes are telling me through watching live reps in practice to film study," Walters said, "leads me to believe we'll be just fine."

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