Here's the Huskies' Second Line of Defense and Offense
If one of the chartered busses misses the turnoff to the Big House in Michigan next fall — after all, with only 107,601 seats, it's a hard stadium to find — the University of Washington football team still should be in fairly decent shape at kickoff.
While a lot of Husky fans cry and moan about the state of football recruiting, they lose sight of the fact the current roster runs two-deep in a lot of places and that maybe, just maybe, some of those young dudes out there don't want to stand in long lines to get on the field.
Former starters are serving as back-ups everywhere at the UW, seven in all. Talented portal transfers still are trying to work their way up the depth chart. A 5-star quarterback is looking for his big break.
After previously naming a starting lineup, we turn everyone's attention to the Husky second unit. Take it from someone who covered the 1991 national championship team, this roster has a lot of highly capable bodies on it. Jimmy Lake has his work cut out for him in keeping everyone happy.
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Sam Huard. No slight to Patrick O'Brien, but this is the Husky quarterback of the future and he needs to play. He looked much more comfortable in the pocket during the spring game.
Running back — Cam Davis. The Huskies are grooming this runner to be the guy. Just one problem: He has Richard Newton in front of him, at least for the upcoming season.
Tight end — Mark Redman. Cade Otton is never really going to graduate because his receiving and blocking clone is patiently waiting in the wings for him to leave.
Left tackle — Troy Fautanu. This guy stands to be a three-year starter once Jaxson Kirkland moves to the NFL. Big and mobile, he's a consummate left tackle.
Left guard — Nate Kalepo. He spent half of spring practice running with the first unit. If Ulumoo Ale lets up for a minute, this guy will have his job.
Center — Cory Luciano. Where's Waldo? Luciano has played tight end, tackle and guard for the UW, and now he's snapping the ball. He still has to live down his bad spring game snap for a safety.
Right guard — Roger Rosengarten. He's the next great UW offensive lineman coming through, the first of the five highly regarded 2020 line recruits to move up.
Right tackle — Matteo Mele. He started once at center in 2019. He's caught in a wedge, waiting for guys to leave while holding off young prospects pursuing his job.
Wide receiver — Jalen McMillan. He started against Stanford as a true freshman in 2020. He often runs the fly sweep. He just drops a few balls here and there.
Wide receiver — Ja'Lynn Polk. He was a seven-game starter at Texas Tech as a true freshman. It's going to be hard to keep him out of the UW lineup.
Wide receiver — Sawyer Racanelli. One of the biggest spring surprises. Big receiver, great hands, healthy again.
DEFENSE
Defensive tackle — Jacob Bandes. A memorable spring snapshot was Bandes throwing down fifth-year starting center Luke Wattenberg without much trouble.
Defensive tackle — Fatui Tuitele. Started against Utah in 2020 and has played in 8 games in two seasons. He's a first-teamer if Huskies open with a five-man line.
Outside linebacker — Sav'ell Smalls. He's got one start under his belt as a true freshman. We might be crazy listing him as a back-up. We might never do that again.
Outside linebacker — Brandon Trice. Arguably he was the most improved Husky at any position during spring practice . One coach said he'll be better than Joe Tryon.
Inside linebacker — Daniel Heimuli. This guy picked the Huskies over Alabama, so people assumed he would play immediately. He's learning as he goes.
Inside linebacker — M.J. Tafisi. His neck is all healed from his 2019 collision. He's ready to start whenever needed.
Cornerback — Elijah Jackson. He made an interception and a lot of plays in the spring game. He's the next one coming down the DB assembly line.
Cornerback — Jacobe Covington. We thought this guy might be another Budda Baker, but he gave safety a try and it wasn't for him. He should be a decent corner.
Nickel back — Kamren Fabiculanan. Tall and thin with a swagger, you can't miss this guy on the field.
Free Safety — Julius Irvin. Leroy Irvin's son got a lot of first-team reps in spring. It's up to him to keep going.
Strong Safety — Asa Turner. The mysterious one with the longest hair in college football sat out most of spring with a bad foot. He has 9 starts. He seems sort of stuck.
SPECIALISTS
Kicker — Peyton Henry. The incumbent showed less range and accuracy than Tim Horn so we have him watching to begin the season.
Punter — Triston Brown. He's 10 yards shorter than starter Race Porter per kick, but still hitting 40-plus.
Wednesday: We pick the third-teamers.
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