Husky D-Line Remains Team's Biggest Question Mark

Spring football is just two months away, the transfer portal closed 10 days ago and the biggest question surrounding the University of Washington football team is how well-stocked is the defensive line?

It's basically returning starter Elinneus Davis and a bunch of new friends.

While the 6-foot-3, 317-pound Davis shows the newcomers where all the bathrooms are in Montlake, we'll take a look at these defensive tackles and see how they measure up.

The thing about pulling players out of the portal is they always come with some sort of lingering baggage about their abilities, and the three newcomers recently signed by the Huskies are hardly exempt.

One of them missed all of last season with a knee injury. Another will try to move up from FCS football. Yet another appears 20 to 25 pounds smaller than what UW defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi prefers.

Add to that four freshmen DTs who initially could resemble deer caught in the headlights when they first pull on UW pads and mix it up this spring.

On the eve of the latest portal grab bag, Husky coach Jedd Fisch cautioned that you just don't go in there and expect to procure an older and extra talented edge rusher because those guys are so valuable teams generally don't part with them.

Elinneus Davis has become a starting defensive tackle for the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

So with eight guys out the door through graduation or transfer, the UW has returnees only in Davis, a nine-game starter, and 6-foot-3, 315-pound sophomore Omar Khan, who hasn't appeared in game yet after after two seasons.

"We love having Elinneus back," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "That was huge for us to re-sign Elinneus."

In the portal, the Huskies obtained Mississippi State transfer Kai McClendon, Sacramento State newcomer DeSean Watts and Ball State transfer Darin Conley.

They've each started one season or a half a season.

Mississippi State defensive lineman Kai McClendon (90), now at the UW, gets a hand on Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson in 2024. | Caitie McMekin/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Add to them four incoming freshmen in various stages of physical readiness, with only Tufanua Ionstana Umu-Cais, at 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds, seemingly big enough to play right away.

"We have TI here, who we believe is going to be a fantastic player," Fisch said.

Following are thumbnails on each of the nine Husky D-line candidates and what they bring to the UW:

Elinneus Davis -- An active and athletic player, he was a starter for much of the 2025 season and finished with 29 tackles and a half sack. It was critical that he returned to the UW because of his experience. He's a proven player and someone to build around.

Omar Khan -- The thick Texan has had two seasons to physically develop at the UW. It's likely a make-it or break-it time for him in his career in a college football landscape that waits for no one. A former championship wrestler, he should have the leverage aspects down.

Omar Khan soaks up the Sun Bowl experience. | UW

Kai McClendon -- The 6-foot-2, 315-pound sophomore has SEC credentials but also a surgically repaired knee. He last played in 2024, starting five games and coming up with 30 tackles and a half sack. The Huskies likely are expecting his pedigree to make him a serious starting candidate.

DeSean Watts -- He's got notoriety as a first-team All-Big Sky selection, but again that's FCS football. The UW went this route two years ago with Montana State's Sebastian Valdez, who was steady but not necessarily a disruptor. The 6-foot-2, 318-pound Watts was an 11-game starter last season with 36 tackles and 2 sacks.

Darin Conley -- He's not unlike the departed Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei in that he's 20 pounds lighter than the going rate for a Big Ten DL, but he uses his slippery ability to make plays. He arrives after starting 12 games for a MAC team and coming up with 28 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

TI Umu-Cais -- If there's a freshman able to compete for playing time right away it will be this Coloradoan, who brings ready size and athleticism for the position. And a lot of defensive stats. He comes off an overly productive season of 133 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

TI Umu-Cais, Colorado's No. 1 player, signed with the UW. | Umu-Cais

David Schwerzel -- The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Schwerzel from Seattle was a wanted man during recruiting, first committing to Stanford and UCLA, before choosing at the last minute to stay home and play for the UW. Missing multiple games as a senior, he comes off a season in which he finished with 24 tackles and 3 sacks.

Ta'a Malu -- Relatively new to football with just two seasons of high school ball behind him, the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder from Tacoma presents an intriguing possibility because he's a martial-arts devotee, which might make him hard to block. In his only season of varisty football, he had 36 tackles and 3 sacks.

JD Hill -- The 6-foot-2, 275-pound SoCal prospect saw his recruitment take off after he turned in a 13-tackle. 5.5-sack showing in a 53-14 victory over Folsom High School in NorCal and its touted quarterback Ryder Lyons, who is committed to BYU. Hill finished with 108 tackles and 13 sacks in 2025.

THE VERDICT: Davis surely will reclaim his spot as a Husky defensive-tackle starter and expect to see him pair up with McClendon initially, providing this player is fully recovered from his 2024 knee injury. You just can't turn your back on an SEC defensive lineman. Watts appears physical enough to play significant game snaps in the rotation while Conley, with his quickness, should be called on, as well. The wild card is Umu-Cais, one of the UW's top freshmen coming in at any position, whose skill set could make him an early contributor.

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