Are There Just Four Defenses Better than Washington's?
Every other day it seems, the University of Washington football team hears some sort of outside expert or analyst raving about the Husky possibilities for the rapidly approaching season, individually or collectively.
Less than three weeks from the first fall practice on August 6, offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, tight end Cade Otton, inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and cornerback Trent McDuffie each have been hailed as first-team All-America candidates or first-round NFL draft picka, or both.
Dylan Morris last week was rated the nation's 28th best quarterback, second best in the Pac-12.
Jimmy Lake even made the Dodd Trophy coach of the year watch list, joining 16 other more well-established leaders.
The Huskies possess the heaviest and one of its most experienced offensive lines in the nation and in school history.
What's left to brag about?
Well, Pro Football Focus likes the UW defense a lot, so much that it ranks the Huskies for having the No. 5 defense in the country, all of this coming without the services of injured outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui, yet another All-American candidate.
With Ulofoshio manning the second row and McDuffie holding together the secondary, the UW defense should be a tough one to crack. PFF puts it in impressive, mostly Southern, company.
While Alabama, Georgia and Clemson each prove their worth defensively each season, Cincinnati is a somewhat surprise entry, but more power to the Bearcats. But it's hard to believe an American Athletic Conference team rates so high.
The PFF assessment of the Husky defense, which returns eight starters, is as follows:
While edge defender Zion Tupuola-Fetui ruptured his Achilles this offseason, don't write this unit off just yet. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon rank first and third, respectively, among all returning Pac-12 corners in PFF Wins Above Average (WAA) generated over the past two seasons, and Gordon did that despite seeing just a handful of starts.
Meanwhile, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio claims the top spot at his respective position over the same period, and edge defender Ryan Bowman ranks second at his position despite playing in only two games in 2020. The Huskies also replaced Elijah Molden with Brendan Radley-Hiles, an Oklahoma transfer and one of the best slot corners in college football. Washington's defensive scheme remains despite the departure of defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, and the talent is there to execute it at a high level.
On the front wall, sophomores and returning starters Tuli Letuligasenoa and Taki Taimani will take up a lot of space and try to shut down the run, which was a big problem during the shortened 2020 season. However, Letuligasenoa, slowed by an injury last fall and greatly limited in his game time, has all-conference potential.
Coming off the corner, Bowman returns for a sixth season with host of accomplishments, topped by his 2019 second-team All-Pac-12 selection. He'll play opposite either one-time 5-star recruit Sav'ell Smalls, Texas A&M transfer Jeremiah Martin or the promising Bralen Trice or Cooper McDonald in place of the recuperating ZTF.
Ulofoshio, who PFF considers the top returning inside linebacker nationwide, will team with returning starter Jackson Sirmon, son of the California defensive coordinator and former NFL linebacker Peter Sirmon. With Ulofoshio a pre-med student, those are two smart linebackers.
In coverage, McDuffie will team with fellow starter and the exceedingly speedy Kyler Gordon at corner and Oklahoma transfer Bookie Radley-Hiles at nickel, plus veteran Asa Turner and converted corner Dominique Hampton at the safeties.
Collectively, they're No. 5 in the nation, maybe a throwback to Husky defenses past.
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