Choosing a Husky Starting Lineup: Race Porter Wins UW Job by a Foot
Joel Whitford has left the house.
Departed Husky Stadium.
Checked out of Seattle.
Taken his boomarang leg with him.
Last we heard, the former University of Washington punter and native Australian was doing some sight-seeing.
And looking for a place to kick.
But with the Canadian Football League and every American pro football loop other than the NFL in limbo because of the pandemic, Whitford ended up there, too.
Which brings us to the job he left vacant after using up his eligibility.
The two man-race was won by a guy named Race.
Race Porter, Whitford's back-up, beat out newcomer Triston Brown.
The other guy brings a junior-college reputation, but he hasn't kicked competitively in more than a year.
It was clear last week that something up was when the Huskies awarded a scholarship to Porter, who also doubles as the Husky holder.
Holders don't get full rides.
Punters do.
Porter did.
That means Brown, who showed up with a reputation but didn't play last year, wasn't ready.
Porter was.
He's the last starter who will be revealed before kickoff, with the No. 1 Husky QB still a well-kept secret.
Punter candidates: Race Porter, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, senior; Triston Brown, 6-1, 195, sophomore.
Starting experience: Porter, 2 games.
The selection: Porter. Looking for a telltale sign on the punter, Jimmy Lake gave this guy a scholarship two weeks before the opener, making people immediately think he had won the job. Lake didn't offer that information right away. though. Porter has kicked 22 times for the Huskies, averaging 42.4 yards per boot, dropping nine of them inside the opposing 20 and launching four of them over 50 yards. He's proven he can do it.
Other punter options: Brown, who has three years of UW eligibility, last kicked 37 times for a modest 36.3 average at Mount St. Antonio College in 2018 and sat out last season. He won a Las Vegas kicking competition. He's on scholarship, too. Yet he'll have to wait for his chance.
Greatest Husky punter: Rich Camarillo. He punted during the 1979 and 1980 seasons, then spent 16 years in the NFL. He handled fourth-down duties for UW Sun Bowl and Rose Bowl teams, averaging 38.1 and 40.5 yards per kick. He's the only Husky punter to enjoy an extended living at the pro football level. He was named to the UW's All-Century team.
Other punter legends: Jeff Partridge, who punted for the Huskies in 1981 and 1982 and spent three seasons in the USFL with the Los Angeles Express; Kiel Rasp, who averaged a school-record 44.4 and has a record long punt of 82 yards during 2010-11; Sean Douglas, who kicked an 82-yarder first in 2006 and played the 2008 season in the NFL; Skip Boyd, the last UW punter to get drafted by the NFL in 1975; Whitford, who averaged 44.8, 41.3 and 42.3 as the starter in 2017-19.
Here's the UW Starting Lineup as it currently stands:
Left tackle — Jaxson Kirkland
Left guard — Ulumoo Ale
Center — Luke Wattenberg
Right guard — Henry Bainivalu
Right tackle — Victor Curne
Tight end — Cade Otton
Wide receiver — Terrell Bynum
Wide receiver — Puka Nacua
Wide receiver — Ty Jones
Running back — Kamari Pleasant
Quarterback — Kevin Thomson, Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris or Ethan Garbers
Kicker — Peyton Henry
Punter — Race Porter
Outside linebacker — Laiatu Latu
Defensive tackle — Tuli Letuligasenoa
Defensive tackle — Josiah Bronson
Outside linebacker — Ryan Bowman
Inside linebacker — Edefuan Ulofoshio
Inside linebacker — Jackson Sirmon
Cornerback — Keith Taylor
Cornerback — Trent McDuffie
Nickel back — Elijah Molden
Strong safety — Asa Turner
Free safety — Alex Cook
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