Less Than a Month To Go, Here's UW's Best Position Battle

Their transfer portal commitments to the University of Washington football team came one after the other in early January, yet their actions were greatly overshadowed by other current events.

It seems a certain Husky quarterback was all over the news at the time, packing and unpacking.

Less than a month from spring ball, however, new defensive tackles DeSean Watts, Darin Conley and Kai McClendon should make up for any previous lack of attention when they pull on the pads and each makes a concentrated bid for the spot opposite returning starter Elinneus Davis.

This promises to be possibly the Huskies' best position battle throughout the April practices and into the May spring game as Jedd Fisch's coaching staff looks for someoneto step up and become a defensive playmaker.

In recent seasons, the UW has had plenty of guys plug holes and get in the way, but it's still been a while since someone has consistently come out of a stance and regularly got into the backfield and raised havoc.

With a whole host of defensive linemen long departed -- with the Parker twins re-emerging at Maryland, Bryce Butler turning to Texas Tech and Dominic Macon settling in at Oklahoma State -- all eyes will be on this incoming trio.

DeSean Watts is a candidate for the UW D-Line. | Sacramento State

Only the 6-foot-2, 318-pound Watts, who was a first-team All-Big Sky selection for Sacramento State last season, joins in this battle without any outward restrictions.

The 6-foot-2, 315-pound McClendon is 12 months removed from an ACL tear suffered last spring at Mississippi State that forced him to miss the entire 2025 regular season and he might be gradually brought into the competition because of it. He seems eager to establish himself in Montlake.

“I love the facility, I love the city and I love how Coach Fisch takes care of his players," he told TV station WXXV in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi. "I can’t wait to win some big-time games.”

Defensive tackle Darin Conley has transferred from Ball State to the UW. | Ball State

That leaves the 6-foot-3, 284-pound Conley from Ball State needing to show he belongs at defensive tackle rather than as a hybrid edge rusher, making a move similar to what the now graduated Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei did in Montlake last year.

Conley was a 12-game starter last season, Watt an 11-game starter last fall and McClendon a 5-game first-teamer in 2024.

McClendon is far more battle-tested than his fellow competitors, after playing against an SEC schedule that included Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M in 2024.

In two seasons at Ball State, Conley has gone up against Auburn, Miami, Purdue and Vanderbilt in terms of Power 4 opposition.

Watts has played mostly against FCS competition, though he had a Mountain West test against Nevada.

For their former teams, Conley wore No. 33, Watts pulled on No. 59 and McClendon answered to No. 90.

Watts comes off 36-tackle, 4-tackle-for-loss, 2-sack season, with a high game of 7 tackles against Nevada.

Conley piled up 28 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks for Ball State in 2025, with a high of 5 tackles against Eastern Michigan and Akron.

In 2024, McClendon finished with 30 tackles, 2 TFLs and a half sack, and had a high game of 4 tackles each against Tennessee, Texas A&M, Toledo and Eastern Kentucky.

Next up is winner take all.