Huskies Open the Fisch Era with Chilly First Spring Practice

The late-afternoon workout was met with guts of wind coming off Lake Washington.

Voi Tunuufi and the UW players run through a first spring practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

It was different.

After two years of Kalen DeBoer practices, the University of Washington football team took the field late Wednesday afternoon with Jedd Fisch running the show and the vibe was a little less formal, not quite so frenetic, maybe something geared for a much younger collection of talent, which it was.

While people would argue this was still just football, gone were the extended circles of players stretching for the longest time, with former strength coach Ron McKeefery wandering through them offering a military cadence and coaches stopping to whisper daily one-on-one messages.

At the end, instead of standing reverently in front of the players and delivering a state of the union message, which is what DeBoer would do, Fisch preferred to have his players surround him and feel his energy.

And rather than put everything on display in Husky Stadium, Fisch offered something akin to a three-ring circus for two hours, with players simultaneously working out in Dempsey Indoor, on the east practice field and in the stadium.

"I don't like practicing on the game field too often, but I feel we might have to right now," Fisch explained, citing space needs. "I used to think the game field is a sacred place."

Also, it was bitter cold in the stadium, with the wind whipping off Lake Washington, which would have sent last year's team running for cover in Dempsey Indoor.

Fifty-two minutes before practice began, senior defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi and walk-on junior edge rusher Jake Jennings were the first two players to take the field. They emerged from the tunnel and looked around as if they were seeing something new.

Four minutes later, junior offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar, still recovering from a knee injury and limited to being a spectator, came out and loudly let go with a good-natured expletive aimed at the defensive line gathering in the far corner of the stadium. Spring football officially was open for. business.

In another change from previous UW coaching staffs, Fisch had his defense wearing purple jerseys and the offense in white. Quarterbacks wore a pale yellow pullover jersey to signify hands off and some individuals wore green and red coverings on their helmets.

While players were interchangeable throughout the opening practice, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers often ran the No. 1 offense working behind a line, from left to right, that consisted of Drew Azzopardi, Paki Finau, Zach Henning, Kahlee Tafai and Elishah Jackett, all sophomores, redshirt freshmen or freshmen; with Jeremiah Hunter, Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston at wide receivers, Quentin Moore at tight end and Jonah Coleman at running back.

Defensively, a frequent lineup had Zach Durfee and Maurice Heims at the edge rushers, Jacob Bandes and Tunuufi on the defensive line, Carson Bruener and Alphonso Tuputala at the linebackers, and a secondary of Ephesians Prysock and Leroy Bryant at the cornerbacks, Kamren Fabiculanan and Makell Esteen at the safeties, and Dyson McCutcheon at nickelback.

Some quick observations were as follows: sophomore edge rusher Lance Holtzclaw has changed his number, from 41 to 10; redshirt freshman linebacker Jordan Whitney is a lot bigger, at least through the shoulders; redshirt freshman defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, listed at 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds, appears much leaner; and freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. can throw a bold, pinpoint pass when he needs to, threading one over defenders Thaddeus Dixon and Anay Nagarajan and into the hands of Hunter, the California transfer, for a 45-yard touchdown strike.

With one practice in the books, the Huskies' ongoing concern will be putting together competitive offensive and defensive lines. Fisch said he wasn't worried. Currently, he has just seven scholarship and three walk-on players available on the O-line for the remaining 14 practices, but that doesn't bother him.

While developing what he has is of great importance, the coach pointed out once more that reinforcements will be on the way. He also will have veteran help available in sophomore center Landen Hatchett and Memmelaar, who will be healthy again before next season begins.

"I'd be more concerned if there wasn't an opportunity to bring in more players, but there is that opportunity," he said, referring to the reopening of the transfer portal from April 15 to 30. "We've got guys coming in who are freshman who have signed with us and we're going to have guys coming in through the transfer portal. We're going to bring in some big guys on both sides of the ball."

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