Husky Line Will Be Its Own Team in Spring Game

The UW has just nine players available for the final outing.

Kahlee Tafai (71) and Michael Watkins get after it. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Oh, those University of Washington offensive-line memories.

New coach Jedd Fisch won't soon forget the false starts, the muffed snaps and the 16 balls on the ground that came when spring football began.

"Everybody's gotten better," he said, though there really was only one direction for his Husky big bodies to go.

As Fisch prepares for Friday night's closing spring game before an anticipated large crowd, he'll create two teams for the competition. Mississippi State quarterback transfer Will Rogers will lead one group, freshman Demond Williams Jr. the other, with players evenly dispersed from one position to the next -- with one exception.

"We have nine offensive linemen," Fisch said. "They'll kind of be on their own team -- the O-line team."

Elishah Jackett (76) pounces on the ball during a drill while Kahlee Tafai (71), Parker Cross (54) and Paki Finau (53) wait their turns. / Skylar Lin Visuals

This past Saturday for the 12th spring practice, he sent a No. 1 line onto the field that consisted of redshirt freshman left tackle Soane Faasolo, freshman left guard Paki Finau, redshirt freshman center Zach Henning, redshirt freshman right guard Kahlee Tafai and sophomore right tackle Drew Azzopardi.

That leaves him with only redshirt freshman tackle Elishah Jackett, freshman guard Michael Watkins, walk-on redshirt freshman guard Aidan Anderson and walk-on redshirt freshman center Parker Cross to use in different configurations, not enough to field two full lines.

On the injured list are sophomore center Landen Hatchett and junior offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar, who are recovering from knee injuries suffered last season, plus walk-on offensive guard Roice Cleeland, apparently injured, as well.

Elishah Jackett (76), Drew Azzopardi (74) and Aidan Anderson (67) share in Husky practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Since taking over, Fisch's staff has been poised to sift through the transfer portal, seeking additional linemen, with Tuesday the last day anyone can enter while the recruiting process will go on for some time. The Huskies already. have commitments from a pair of offensive guards in Portland State's D'Angalo Titialii and Miami's Logan Sagapolu, though the latter has indicated to others he might get shifted to the defensive line once in Montlake.

As he puts together an offensive line, the first-year UW coach will be indebted to the guys who have eased the Huskies through spring ball with this undermanned position group. While many of them still aren't ready to play regularly just yet, needing more strength and size, Fisch has been pleased with their progress, especially physically.

Since January, the Huskies collectively have put on 435 pounds through the team conditioning program, the coach said, with most of the new weight ending up on the offensive line.

"They're getting bigger and stronger," Fisch said.

.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington