Tops on Husky Wish List Is Playmaking Defensive Lineman

Now that we've seen exactly what a national champion looks like in this era of unrestricted NIL payments and a revolving-door transfer portal, the University of Washington football team still has considerable work to do before it positions itself for another CFP title-game appearance any time soon.

Granted, the Huskies appear well fortified at quarterback, running back, tight end and lead wide receiver heading into the 2025 season. The offensive line will build around not just one but two Hatchetts. Able replacements appear to have been collected for the edge, linebacking corps and secondary.

Where the glaring hole remains in Jedd Fisch's impending lineup for 2025 is on the defensive line.

Steve Emtman still hasn't provided a son with a maniacal mentality nor has Vita Vea sent a younger and equally wide-body brother to Montlake to fill their considerable shoulder pads.

Two months before spring football, and less than seven months until the season opener against Colorado State, the Huskies appear decidedly average up front on defense unless someone has the ability to flip a switch to overnight greatness.

Jayvon Parker still holds plenty of promise, yet he'll need nearly all of the offseason to bounce back from an Achilles tendon rupture. His twin, Armon, still hasn't played on Saturdays in three years, and has only practiced in one of three seasons. Add to them a host of others who are difficult to distinguish not in size but in talent differential.

As the Huskies dream of playing in another mid-January showcase, the following are the interior defensive-line candidates lined up to replace Jacob Bandes and Sebastian Valdez, who started last season after serving as a career reserve player and a Big Sky mainstay and basically plugged a couple of gaps but didn't create havoc.

If the UW wants to be taken seriously again on defense, it needs at least one playmaker up front who is virtually unblockable and continually shows it. Jedd Fisch's staff will use spring practice to determine if they need another guy at this position from the next transfer portal. The current 10 Husky DL candidates are as follows:

JAYVON PARKER

This 6-foot-3, 297-pound Parker has appeared in 25 Husky games but hasn't been a starter in his three seasons, gaining a medical redshirt year to compensate for his Achilles tear. The Detroit native has 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks on his career ledger, including a game-day best 5 tackles against Rutgers in the game in which he got hurt yet graded out nationally as one of the best at his position that day. It's difficult to heavily count on a player who will need a maximum amount of time to recover and make himself a playmaker again.

SIMOTE PEPA

Another wide body, this 6-foot-3, 340-pound Utah transfer comes to the Huskies well seasoned after appearing in 37 games and starting three times. He had 45 career tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 2 pass break-ups in his time in Salt Lake City. He is starting material, though his ample size would seem to limit him to short stints.

ANTERIO THOMPSON

The well-traveled Thompson has played for Iowa Western Community College, Iowa and Western Michigan in each of the past three seasons. He comes to the Huskies with the most starting experience after opening 12 of 13 games last season for the Mid-Atlantic Conference team and finishing with 34 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He appeared in seven games as a reserve for Iowa. At 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, he'll get a long look to become a starter.

ELINNEUS DAVIS

As a freshman redshirt, the Minnesota product turned himself into a back-up player with a 6-foot-2, 309-pound frame who appeared in a dozen games. He collected a sack against Eastern Michigan and a pair of tackles and pass break-up against Michigan. With Davis duly motivated, it will be interesting to see what kind of strides he can make from year two to three. He might have the most opportunity to be better than he was last season.

BRYCE BUTLER

The Huskies chose to use this Kansas JC transfer in just three games and redshirt him. He had 4 tackles in the season opener against Weber State, including a tackle for loss. At 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, he carries the longest frame of any of the defensive tackles.

LOGAN SAGAPOLU

A one-time Oregon and Miami transfer and offensive lineman at those prior stops, he is the heaviest of the UW defensive tackles, packing 368 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. He appeared in all 13 games, but only in short stints likely because of his weight and stamina. He started once against Northwestern and recovered a fumble against Michigan.

ARMON PARKER

A pair of knee injuries have cost him what should have been his freshman and junior seasons. At 6-foot-3 and 312 pounds, he's bigger than his brother. At the 2022 Alamo Bowl, former Husky co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell memorably told how Armon was supposed to be a step quicker than his brother. In his fourth season, it's time for him to make contribution.

OMAR KHAN

This 6-foot-3, 298-pound Texan redshirted as a freshman, but remains an intriguing player because he was a high school heavyweight wrestler in the Houston area who advanced to the state semifinals, lost just once and knows how to use leverage.

CALEB SMITH

Looking for an SEC-style player, the Huskies took this 6-foot-5, 260-pound recruit out of Alabama and brought him to Seattle as a winter quarter enrollee. He comes off a senior season in which he collected 44 tackles, including 8 tackles for loss. Matt Doherty, UW player personnel director, notably said this kid has a chance to grow into a notable playmaker.

DOMINIC MACON

Similar to Khan, the Huskies went for another heavyweight wrestler in the 6-foot-3, 315-pound Macon, who was an undefeated state champion in suburban Portland, Oregon, and similarly understands leverage points.

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