Help Wanted: Huskies Ready to Put Cook to Work Again

Demonstrating further how out of sorts the University of Washington football team was last season, the previous coaching staff started seven different safeties, either unable to keep them healthy or unwilling to trust them for long.

Gone were the days, at least temporarily, when proven playmakers such as Budda Baker and Taylor Rapp roamed the back row of the Husky defense and were season-long immovable objects.

During the lost season of 2021, Alex Cook pulled the most Husky safety starting assignments (9) by a wide margin. He did this even while leaving a midseason game at Arizona in frightening fashion — Cook suffered a concussion that left him prone and hushed the crowd, was gingerly strapped to a stretcher on the field and loaded into an emergency vehicle, and transported to a Tucson hospital.

Yet the Sacramento, California, native was cleared to to play again after sitting out a game to satisfy concussion protocols He proved resilient.

In this Husky position merry-go-round, Cook was followed in number of safety starts by teammates Asa Turner (4), Cam Williams (3), Dominique Hampton (3), Julius Irvin (2), Kamren Fabiculanan (1) and Bookie Radley-Hiles (1). All return except Radley-Hiles, though some at different positions.

The UW traded safeties in and out of the lineup beginning in 2021 spring practice, continued this madcap approach through fall camp and didn't stop as the season came apart.

With Kalen DeBoer's new staff in charge, one of the objectives this past spring was to introduce experience and stability to the UW secondary.

If they were to play a game tomorrow, the Huskies most likely would open with Mishael Powell and Jordan Perryman at the cornerbacks, Dominique Hampton at the hybrid Husky position and Turner and and Cook as the safeties.

That's two fourth-year sophomores, a fifth-year junior and a pair of sixth-year seniors.

Experience: check.

At the forefront is the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Cook, a most unique player who remains the answer to a UW football trivia question.

Who started at wide receiver for the Huskies as a redshirt freshman in the 2019 Rose Bowl against Ohio State?

The versatile Cook spent two seasons as a UW pass-catcher before switching to defense, where he will finish his Montlake football career. He felt obligated to stay yet another season. He felt needed.

"When I told myself I was going to come back, it was, 'Yeah, I need to step up and be the leader now,' " he said. "That was really one of the reasons I wanted to stay."

Amid all of the Husky changes, Cook has been a voice of reason. He spoke about the calming effect presented by his new coach, DeBoer. He mentioned how the transfer portal doesn't necessarily solve playing-time issues and he tried to counsel some of his teammates about that.

Some left anyway, but Cook is back. He has a dozen career starts and one career interception to his name. He previously lined up next to players such as the NFL-bound Elijah Molden and Trent McDuffie, who were secondary pillars. Now it's his turn.

UW STRONG SAFETY DEPTH

1) Alex Cook, 6-1, 194, Sr., Sacramento, Calif.

2) Julius Irvin, 6-1, 181, Jr., Anaheim, Calif.

3) Makell Esteen, 6-1, 180, R-Fresh., Hawthorne, Calif.

Behind Cook on our depth chart are Irvin and Esteen, players who have been around awhile.

The son of NFL great Leroy Irvin, Julius was injured early on in his career in Montlake before drawing starts last season against Montana and Michigan. He played in all 12 games last season and intercepted a pass against Arkansas State. He should be ready when needed.

Esteen arrived in 2020 as part of a hyped-up, four-player class of defensive backs. He and cornerback Elijah Jackson are the only ones left after corners Jacobe Covington transferred to USC and James Smith left the program. Esteen has played in just one game as a Husky, against Arizona in 2020. He has a new coaching staff to accelerate his growth. Patience will determine where he goes from here.

Conclusion: Cook's role will be crucial to the Husky rebound. The secondary has undergone more transition than any other position area on this team, with three starters (Kyler Gordon, McDuffie and Radley-Hiles) turning to the NFL and the safeties used last season like trading cards. Cook will be asked to help solidify things.

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