How the Husky Lineup Looks Halfway Through Spring Practice
Halfway through spring football, the University of Washington lineup is far from settled. With eight of 15 practices remaining, and players continually shuffling from unit to unit, here's how the Huskies came together on Saturday.
On defense, the UW was missing outside linebackers Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Ryan Bowman — ZTF with an injury and Bowman for unknown reasons — and went with redshirt freshmen Sav'ell Smalls and Cooper McDonald in their place during the final 1-on-1 exchange.
While Tupuola-Fetui is a returning first-team All-Pac-12 selection entering his junior year and Bowman is a sixth-season senior with 19 starts and a second-team All-Pac-12 pick in 2019, Smalls opened only against Stanford last season and McDonald has played as a reserve so far.
The down linemen were juniors Tuli Letuligasenoa and Sam Taimani. Tuli and Taki. The 6-foot-2, 330-pound Taimani started all four games last season and the 6-foot-2, 310-pound Letuligasenoa just the final game against Stanford because of injuries. Much is expected from them this season.
The first-team inside linebackers have not changed at all since last season. The Huskies steadily have relied on juniors Edefuan Ulofoshio, a second-team All-Pac-12 selection, and Jackson Sirmon, son of the California defensive coordinator, throughout last season and through the first two weeks of spring ball without interruption. Ulofoshio has six career starts, Sirmon those four last fall.
In the secondary, the UW finished up Saturday with junior Kyler Gordon and sophomore Mishael Powell at the No. 1 cornerbacks, with second-team All-Pac-12 selection Trent McDuffie absent for reasons unexplained. Gordon has five career starts while Powell is a walk-on pushing hard for minutes, a first-unit role and possibly a scholarship.
Oklahoma transfer Bookie Radley-Hiles was the No. 1 nickel back, replacing Elijah Molden, while juniors Asa Turner and Dominique Hampton ran onto the field as the first-unit safeties. Hiles was a three-year starter with 32 opening assignments for the Sooners, while Turner has nine career starts at the UW and Hampton is seeking his first game-opening role.
On the other side of the ball, the Huskies finished up, from left to right, with an offensive line of 6-foot-7, 315-pound senior Jaxson Kirkland at tackle, 6-6, 340-pound sophomore Nate Kalepo at guard, 6-5, 300-pound senior Luke Wattenberg at center, 6-6, 340-pound senior Henry Bainivalu at guard and 6-5, 300-pound Matteo Mele at tackle.
Wattenberg has 36 career starts as he enters his fifth season as a starter, Kirkland is a 29-game starter entering his fourth season in the lineup and Bainivalu has six starts. Kirkland was first-team All-Pac-12 last season, while Wattenberg and Bainivalu received honorable mention honors.
Kalepo split scrimmage time with the No. 1 unit with returning starter, 6-6, 365-pound Ulumoo Ale, either to reward one or motivate the other, while Mele, who started once at center against Arizona in 2019, is an injury replacement for junior Victor Curne, who was in uniform but didn't play.
The first-team wide receivers on Saturday were senior Terrell Bynum and redshirt freshmen Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, who paired up with senior tight end Cade Otton. Often the Huskies went with a two tight-end lineup with junior Devin Culp inserted for McMillan.
Otton, of course, is a first-team All-Pac-12 selection with 31 career starts who is entering his fourth season in the lineup. Odunze and McMillan each pulled one starting assignment last season.
In the offensive backfield, sophomore Dylan Morris remains at quarterback after starting four times in 2020 and he was matched up with sophomore running back Cameron Davis, who is still looking for his first start. It shouldn't be long now.
With 18 returning starters, the first-unit lineup isn't expected to have much turnover this month. Not unless some of the headliners get beat out. Yet that could happen in a few spots.
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