With Fall Camp Approaching, Huskies Put Newfound Fitness on Display
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A year ago, bigger was better. The University of Washington offensive line entered the season as the heaviest in school history, averaging roughly 324 pounds per man, and the Huskies promised they would use that added heft to run the ball with authority.
Coach Jimmy Lake was pressed whether his guys were too bloated, as was offensive-line coach Scott Huff, but they assured everyone these guys were well-proportioned and ready to go.
Well, they weren't, beginning with the first game of the season — when the Husky O-line couldn't move Montana off the ball at all.
Lake's "Run the Damn Ball" offense ran into a figurative brick wall, rushing for a paltry 97 yards on 32 carries that was flat-out embarrassing in a stunning 13-7 defeat to the Big Sky school.
It was an indicator of big troubles to come, one of five games the UW would lose in the fourth quarter. It resulted in a 4-8 season with limited offensive success, followed by a lot of career changes.
Lake got fired. His offensive coordinator was let go. His strength and conditioning coach was terminated. The kitchen was closed.
A new staff came in dangling carrots in front of everyone to achieve success. Literally. Kalen DeBoer and his coaches determined that nearly half the guys on the roster needed to lose weight and more than that weren't in optimum condition.
Eight months later, the Huskies have gone through a total makeover, a dietary evolution and a lot of sweat. It's the biggest indicator of change from one coaching staff to another. Whether or not these UW players will be big winners this fall, they certainly look good. Healthier. More confident.
Coming out of Pac-12 Media Day, Husky players and coaches alike flooded their Twitter accounts on Friday with before-and-after photos that most weight-loss clinics would spend a lot of money to have in their marketing campaigns.
"I think we're certainly a team that 's a lot stronger, faster and leaner," DeBoer said in his opening remarks in Los Angeles.
Consider Husky senior offensive guard Henry Bainivalu, who played at 330 pounds last fall and at best had an uneven season of blocking success.
His physique was lumpy and he got beat up front as much as he held the upper hand. He now looks 10-15 pounds lighter with a slimmer waistline and more is expected from him.
Bainivalu was one of the willing converts, as the accompanying photos show. It will be interesting to see if he can use his sudden fitness to make himself into a highly decorated UW player who regularly has the advantage on the guy opposite him and turns himself into a serious NFL prospect.
One of the drawbacks of the Lake era clearly was a lack of attention to detail, maybe a blind trust in giving these UW players far too much freedom to determine what their fitness levels should and shouldn't be.
For DeBoer and his weight coach, Ron McKeefery, this is one of the parts to their football program that is non-negotiable. They'll determine whether you're in or out of shape. They're convinced it's the difference between wins and losses.
They don't intend to to lose any games to underdog teams such as Montana because their players didn't do everything to get in the best shape they could.
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