Husky D-Line Starters Look Set, But Position Is Crowded With Vets

The UW added three newcomers with a combined 28 game-opening assignments and lost five players with a lone start among them.

Darin Conley wears all of the protective knee braces. | Dave Sizer photo

Coming out of spring practice, the University of Washington football team seemed firm on its starting defensive tackles.

Junior Elinneus Davis held one spot as a returning first-teamer who showed himself to be one of the Huskies' better players at any position throughout April and into May.

Handed a starting job before anything got started, freshman prodigy Derek Colman-Brusa settled in opposite Davis and wasn't inclined to give it back through 15 practices.

However, these guys probably shouldn't get too comfortable with their No. 1 roles with fall camp set to open in a week.

They have plenty of seasoned newcomers to push them, back them or replace them if needed.

While there was an exodus of Husky defensive linemen transferring out over the winter to Maryland, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Alabama, Jedd Fisch's coaching staff filled those roster spots with even more experienced players.

DeSean Watts has fit in as a new UW defensive tackle. | Dave Sizer photo

Five guys went out the door with just one Husky game start among them, which was handled by Bryce Butler, now at Texas Tech, and they were replaced by Darin Conley from Ball State, Kai McClendon from Mississippi State and DeSean Watts from Sacramento State.

The newcomers arrived with a collective 28 college starts among them, 23 coming last season.

If Davis or Colman-Brusa experience a performance falloff or get injured this coming season, plenty of people are waiting in line ready to show what they can do.

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During spring ball, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Conley was so efficient early on he was the first of the new arrivals to get elevated and run with the No. 1 Husky defense at times.

With an extra thick torso, he appears to have the leverage necessary to play in the Big Ten. He comes off a 2025 season in which he started all 12 Ball State games. He has two seasons of eligibility to play at the UW.

Kai McClendon brings a big body to the UW defensive line. | Dan Raley

"Darin Conley is exactly what you want in a defensive lineman," defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said.

The newcomer with the most impressive D-line credentials is the 6-foot-1, 334-pound McClendon, who started five times as a freshman in the SEC in 2024. His challenge is he's coming back from a knee injury that made him miss last season.

He's expected to be ready to play again during fall camp. He has three seasons of eligibility to use at the UW.

"We'll see what kind of football team we have when Kai McClendon is back," Fisch said.

Equally well regarded is the 6-foot, 315-pound Watts, a stout player who makes up for his lack of height with power and strength. In 2025, he was an 11-game starter and a first-team All-Big Sky selection at the FCS level.

"His energy is infectious," Walters said. "You guys come see practice, you're going to know when he's out there. He gets everybody involved. He's always positive, always high energy."

Each of these three comes to the Huskies hoping to use their new school as a springboard to the NFL.

"The reason I really chose U-Dub is because of the coaches," Conley said in a UW video clip. "They'know what they're doing. They have an established program They put people in the league."