Spring Questions Abound About Overhauled Husky Defense

With one spring football practice in the books, the University of Washington offense immediately looks promising.

It offers a dual-threat quarterback to keep opponents continually guessing, a pair of physically imposing running backs, an offensive line that resembles Big Ten size, plenty of capable tight ends and an exciting new wide receiver from Penn State.

As for the Husky defense, it's a much different story. Questions abound. Jobs are available. Nothing is certain at all.

This is a group that returns just four starters from the Sun Bowl in edge rusher Isaiah Ward, safety Makell Esteen, and cornerbacks Ephesians Prysock and Leroy Bryant. However, Prysock is coming off offseason surgery and, while in uniform, he won't be fully involved when the pads come on.

Another defensive issue is this: edge rusher Zach Durfee, defensive tackle Jayvon Parker and linebackers Jacob Manu and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale each are sidelined for the entire spring, recovering from much more invasive surgeries on knees, toes and an Achilles heel.

The first three of those players are potential starters while Rainey-Sale is considered the No. 1 freshman coming in.

So where does that leave the UW stop unit for spring ball?

Probably in a constant state of flux, with players repeatedly moving in and out of positions all across the lineup.

"Everybody is sort of operating with a blank slate," new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said before practice began. "In terms of learning the verbiage and how we want to do things and the standard with which we operate, so the competition is going to be pivotal this spring."

On the first day, the Huskies opened the initial drills with the following: Jacob Lane and Ward at the edge rushers, Elinneus Parker and Western Michigan transfer Anterio Thompson as the tackles, WSU transfer Taariq Al-Uqdah and UCF transfer Xe'ree Alexander as the linebackers, Florida International transfer CJ Christian and Esteen as the safeties, Dyson McCutcheon at nickelback, and Arizona transfer Tacario Davis and Bryant at the cornerbacks.

That was five transfers in the first group.

When the UW went to a five-man front, Arizona transfer Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei dropped into a stance, making it six transfers.

Rotating in at safety was Alex McLaughlin, formerly of Northern Arizona and a seventh defensive transfer.

Eased into the mix was 6-foot-3, 350-pound Utah transfer Simote Pepa, who as the heaviest player on the team could be a situational player coming off the bench and used for shorter stints, same as he did with the Utes. He is an eighth transfer, all of whom could end up on the field all at once.

That's a lot of new faces to work with on the Husky defense, combined with three new coaches out of the five working on this side of the ball in linebackers coach Brian Odom, safeties coach Taylor Mays and Walters.

These coaches will be challenged to see if they can find enough defensive playmakers to make a difference this coming season -- or else the Huskies will be left to try and win a lot of high-scoring games.

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