Choosing 5 Breakout Husky Football Players for a Short Season

Elijah Molden and Jaxson Kirkland are great college football players. No doubt about it.

Molden, with his aggressiveness against the run and exemplary anticipation in pass coverage, made himself into one last season. Kirkland, with his in-home weight room, did it this past offseason.

The Pac-12 reconfirmed their reputations this past Thursday, naming both to the first team of its preseason All-Pac-12 team and showering five other players with lesser recognition.

With yet another week to ponder how good this University of Washington team really is before it finally shows itself — after three season-opener misfirings — players eagerly await the chance to demonstrate their elite skills.

The following are five young Huskies poised to step forward and draw attention to themselves, ranked in the order of their expected emergence in the six games ahead.

1) Tuli Letuligaseno

While everyone bemoaned the early departure of All-America candidate Levi Onwuzurike, his defensive-tackle replacement might be better than him. Letuligasenoa, a 6-foot-2, 305-pound sophomore from Concord, California, brings more size than Levi, but comparable quickness. He should demonstrate fairly quickly why USC, where he first committed, wanted him so badly. Oh yeah, Tuli and Levi were roommates.

2) Ulumoo Ale

How can you go wrong with a 6-6, 355-pound blocker with plenty of attitude who can move like someone 50-75 pounds lighter? And is named Ulumoo? With his enormous size and lion-hearted personality, this Fife, Washington, product by way of Australia should become a fan favorite fairly soon, especially after he opens up holes large enough to send an alumni yacht through it.

3) Puka Nacua

Nacua began to show his elite wide-receiver skills as a true freshman before a broken foot cut into his momentum and finished his season. The Provo, Utah, native is healthy now, packing a 6-2, 180-pound frame and ready to continue what he started when he scored against Oregon and Hawaii on laser throws from the departed Jacob Eason.

4) Asa Turner

Turner earned five midseason starts at strong safety as a true freshman, before making a series of mistakes and giving up the job. The 6-3, 200-pound sophomore from Carlsbad, California, worked hard in the offseason to reclaim his position and might not give it back now until he's ready to jump to the NFL.

5) Sav'ell Smalls

Big and fast, the outside linebacker from Seattle is the prize of the latest recruiting class and he showed from the outset of fall camp that he can play. A 6-3, 250-pounder, Smalls begins the season on the second unit, but no one will be the least bit surprised if he becomes a starter. At the very least the true freshman will play a lot.

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