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Ranking the UW'S 11 Portal, JC Newcomers by Expected Impact

The Huskies have 5 new offensive and defensive players, plus a punter.
Dan Raley|
Ranking the UW'S 11 Portal, JC Newcomers by Expected Impact
Ranking the UW'S 11 Portal, JC Newcomers by Expected Impact

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Washington Huskies

In a hurry to restore the University of Washington football team to something more competitive than 4-8, Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff have added 11 new players coming in with college experience. 

That's enough to fill a huddle and run a play on a fall Saturday, though just five of these newcomers are offensive players.

DeBoer is counting on these reinforcements to help jumpstart an offense that scored just 21.5 points an outing.

On the other side of the ball, the coach is relying on these roster pick-ups to help restore a run defense that has proved overly generous plus maintain stingy pass coverage.

That said, we'll take a closer look at these college imports, who include portal and junior-college transfers, and rank them by the impact we expect each one to have on the Huskies this coming season. 

UW'S IRONMAN ELEVEN

1. Jordan Perryman, CB, UC Davis, Sr. — Perryman wears No. 1 so we'll start him out there. The most glaring hole in the UW lineup that DeBoer inherited was at cornerback, where both starting positions opened up after Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon left for the NFL. Perryman came in and impressed his new coaches right away with his preparation and confidence. He thinks he's an NFL player, no matter how he gets there, whether from UC Davis or the UW. He claimed a first-unit job at the outset of Husky spring ball. The two-time All-Big Sky selection is probably the biggest reason Jacobe Covington transferred to USC.

2. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Indiana, Jr. — The left-hander is a veteran, successful quarterback who's had trouble staying healthy. However, when his shoulders and knees are intact, Penix as a dual-threat playmaker is as good as it gets. He led a historic Indiana turnaround. He beat Michigan and Michigan State on back-to-back weekends. A second-team, All-Big Ten pick in 2019, he should lead a big offensive turnaround in Seattle and put points on the board. 

3. Cam Bright, LB, Pittsburgh, Sr. — With Eddie Ulofoshio out likely until midseason, the Huskies needed a veteran presence to pair with holdover backer Carson Bruener and this ACC product should help minimize Ulofoshio's absence. He has 52 college games under his belt, the most of anyone on the UW roster. Joining a team that hasn't had any defensive or special-teams runback touchdowns of any kind for a couple of seasons, Bright scored on a 26-yard fumble return against Michigan State in the Peach Bowl in his last game. 

4. Wayne Taulapapa, RB, Virginia, Sr. — The native Hawaiian, with 26 starts in 39 games for his ACC team, brings more running-back experience and the right body size to the competition as a rusher and receiver both. He should be a durable back, which has been a problem for the Huskies. 

5. Kris Moll, LB, UAB, Sr. — This two-time, first-team All-Conference USA selection is a little undersized for a linebacker at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and not as fast as most safeties, but he's scrappy enough to play both positions, plus handle the Husky hybrid position. He's a veteran of 51 college games, second on the UW roster to Bright.

 

6. Lonyatta Alexander Jr., WR, Arizona State, R-Fr. — He probably won't start with the triumvirate of Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk available, but he showed in the final spring scrimmage he has a flair for making big plays. Expect to see him out there. 

7. Aaron Dumas, RB, New Mexico, So. — We'd have this second-year player rated higher but he didn't catch any passes for his Mountain West team, which is a prerequisite for a running back in DeBoer's offense. He's a hit-the-hole runner than a breakaway type.  

8. Sekai Afoa-Asoau, DE, College of San Mateo, Jr. — While coming out of the NAIA and JC ranks, Afoa-Asoau must acclimate to a higher level of football. Yet he's 21 and he plays physical so he should be ready to help in a reserve role.

9. Demario King, LB, Cerritos College, Jr. — Leaving the junior-college ranks, he's still adjusting to inside linebacker. Yet he brings great speed to the cause. He should pull minutes.  

10. Kevin Ryan, P, Idaho State, Sr. — Ryan finished fifth in the FCS with a 45.6-yard punting average, but he still doesn't have the foot of his Husky predecessor Race Porter. Yet the Huskies aren't planning on using Ryan as much as they did Porter because of the offensive upgrades that are coming. 

11. Will Nixon, WR/RB, Nebraska, R-Fr. — Is Nixon a wide receiver or running back? The Huskies say both. Yet he's still an untested player who will need to be gradually introduced to Pac-12 football. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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