16 Former Huskies Reappear as Starters Elsewhere for Coming Season

Two of them are quarterbacks Dylan Morris and Ethan Garbers at James Madison and UCLA.

Quarterback Dylan Morris (5) was dressed and ready to go for the UW against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game in Houston. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Sixteen former University of Washington football players -- among them a pair of quarterbacks in Dylan Morris at James Madison and Ethan Garbers at UCLA -- have earned starting jobs for their other schools heading into this weekend's season openers, according to either official or projected depth charts.

It was four years ago when Morris beat out Garbers and two others to become the No. 1 signal-caller for Jimmy Lake's coaching staff. Both of these players are seniors now.

Four ex-Huskies are pegged as first-game starters for SEC teams this weekend in junior wide receiver Germie Bernard and sophomore center Parker Brailsford at Alabama for former UW coach Kalen DeBoer's staff, plus senior safety Asa Turner at Florida and senior offensive guard Nate Kalepo at Mississippi. Brailsford recently was named as a first-team AP preseason All-America selection.

Turner, in fact, will go head to head this weekend in Gainesville against former UW secondary teammate Mishael Powell, who will start for Miami. Turner, after playing free safety for the Huskies, will line up at strong safety for the Gators. Powell, a starting cornerback and nickelback in Montlake, is now a first-team free safety for the Hurricanes.

Three more former UW defensive backs who have emerged as starters elsewhere are senior cornerback Jabbar Muhammad at Oregon, senior cornerback Jacobe Covington for USC and senior safety Cam Williams at Georgia Southern. Muhammad is a highly decorated player, receiving second-team All-Pac-12 honors for DeBoer's team last season.

A pair of ex-Husky tight ends, senior Mark Redman at Louisville and junior Caden Jumper at Murray State, are listed as starters, as are a pair of linebackers in senior Daniel Heimuli at Georgia State and senior Ale Kaho at UCLA, plus senior edge rusher Cooper McDonald at TCU and junior wide receiver Lonyatta Alexander Jr. at Montana State, with the latter getting his season started last weekend in a 35-31 upset win over New Mexico.

In 2020, the 6-foot, 197-pound Morris won the UW starting quarterback job in a four-man competition behind closed doors during the COVID pandemic, a position battle that also included the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Garbers, then a true freshman; the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Jacob Sirmon, the returning back-up QB at the time who would later transfer to Central Michigan and Northern Colorado; and 6-foot-1, 220-pound Kevin Thomson, the latter a transfer from Sacramento State and the 2019 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year.

Morris would go on to start 15 games for the Huskies over two seasons and earn All-Pac-12 honorable-mention honors before serving as a backup for two seasons to Michael Penix Jr. He seems content in finishing out his career as a sixth-year player at James Madison, a Sun Belt team in Harrisonburg, Virginia, which has a new coaching staff.

"It's going to be very explosive," Morris told the Richmond Times-Dispatch of the Dukes' offense. "We're going to be able to do a lot of things."

Garbers, who never appeared in any UW games, has started seven of 29 outings he's played at UCLA, opening behind center six times in 2023.

Three other ex-UW quarterbacks, junior Sam Huard at Utah, freshman Dermaricus Davis at UCLA and redshirt freshman Austin Mack at Alabama, don't appear on the two-deeps entering their season openers.

Among other former Huskies who moved to the SEC but will serve in back-up roles for now are offensive guards Julius Buelow at Ole Miss and Geirean Hatchett at Oklahoma, plus junior tight end Josh Cuevas is either Alabama's second- or third-team tight end for DeBoer. Buelow started eight games for the UW last season, 13 overall in his career.

One-time UW linebacker Josh Calvert, a sixth-year senior, enters the season as a back-up linebacker for Utah; junior cornerback Jaivion Green is a second-teamer at Stanford; junior cornerback Davon Banks is a back-up at Boise State; junior wide receiver Sawyer Racanelli will come off the bench for Montana; junior running back Will Nixon is either the second- or third-team player at his position at Syracuse, where he now answers to his father, Jeff, who's the offensive coordinator; and Myles Murao, a 2023 starter at San Diego State in five games at offensive tackle and guard, is now a reserve guard for the Aztecs.

Two former Huskies who have switched positions at their latest college stops are senior Sav'ell Smalls, a former edge rusher now a tight end for Colorado and Deion Sanders; and junior Kuao Peihopa, who has moved from defensive tackle to offensive tackle for Hawaii. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Peihopa started 13 games on defense for the Mountain West team in 2023, but currently is a back-up offensive right tackle.

Among special-teamers, ex-UW place-kicker Tim Horn enters his third season at Rice after playing three seasons in Montlake. He's coming off a 2023 showing in which he converted 8 of 12 field-goal attempts with a long of 48 yards.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons at Utah, sophomore offensive tackle Jalen Klemm at Arizona State and redshirt freshman edge rusher Anthony James at Eastern Washington, all members of last year's UW team, do not appear on depth charts at their respective schools.

One-time Husky running back Jay'Veon Sunday, after leading Abilene Christian in rushing last season with 677 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns, is no longer on the FCS team's roster, with no ready explanation given for his departure.

Finally, junior safety Vince Nunley, who started against Michigan State and had an interception against Jedd Fisch's Arizona team last season, has not reappeared with a new team since entering the transfer portal in December.

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