Husky Roster Review: Epperson Was No Stranger to New Coach

The guy was a two-year starter as a college football player, piled up nearly 200 tackles, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round.

That was University of Oklahoma linebacker Brian Asamoah Jr., who landed in the NFL four years ago. -- and this also could be Jonathan Epperson Jr. for Washington three or four years from now.

This direct comparison comes courtesy of Brian Odom, the new Huskies linebackers coach and himself once a Sooners running back and later the LB coach for Oklahoma.

"Same size," Odom said during spring football practice. "Their skill sets are similar."

The only real difference between those two is the 6-foot, 226-pound Asamoah opted out against playing Oregon in the 2021 Alamo Bowl while Epperson -- a freshman who has matching height and is five pounds lighter -- will be programmed to not only want to face the Ducks whenever possible but beat them badly.

Jonathan Epperson Jr. takes a minute during spring drills. | Dan Raley

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

Spring football was a time of renewal for Epperson and Odom, who crossed paths during recruiting when the linebacker excelled for Auburn Riverside High School south of Seattle while the coach was looking for talent as part of Lincoln Riley's USC staff.

Odom was drawn to a local kid who was a three-time, first-team All-North Puget Sound League selection and a three-time team captain.

"He was a tremendous high school football player," Odom said. "I was really, really happy to see he was part of the team when I got hired. I loved his tape in high school. I loved being able to recruit him back then. Having a chance to coach him, and be what he can be, I'm excited about that."

Which brings everyone to Montlake now. In April, Epperson mostly rotated between the third and fourth set of UW linebackers sent onto the field.

It seemed to be a tedious time for him as he went through his initiation to the college game -- the thinking part and the Huskies' way of doing things.

If body language provided any hints, Epperson looked like he would rather have been running all over the place slamming into people, rather than learning about all of the responsibilities that come with his position. At least he got that out of the way this spring.

JONATHAN EPPERSON JR. FILE

What he's done: Epperson looked stout and filled out physically, which is not always the case for freshmen linebackers. He just needs to grasp all the nuances of being a college player at his position. Khmori House made this transition a year ago for the UW before transferring to North Carolina. Epperson will play when he's mentally ready.

Starter or not: If Epperson indeed is a Brian Asamoah clone, his football career will go like this: He will redshirt this coming season, play special teams his second year and become a full-time starter for two years. He will be named second-team all-conference, pass up his senior year, receive a second-day draft pick and join the NFL. That's the blueprint for him.

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