Inside The Huskies

Can Jabbar Muhammad Change Washington's Defense?

How can the four-star transfer from Oklahoma State impact the Husky defense?

Roman Tomashoff

It's no secret that while Washington's offense was one of the best in terms of EPA (expected points added) in 2022, the defense was one of the worst in terms of that statistic. A lot of that was due to the team's struggles defending the pass. 

The Husky defense ranked 100th out of the 130 FBS schools against the pass in 2022, giving up an average of 251.5 yards per game. While that's a major adjustment for fans after the years of the Pete Kwiatkowski/Jimmy Lake coordinated defenses, clearly there's still a path for a lot of success without an elite defense.

However, in the same vein, it can be argued that with even an average defense, the Huskies could have gone 11-1, or even potentially 12-0 in the regular season. One thing that would have changed the defense in a big way is an elite, number-one cornerback that can essentially take the opposition's top receiver out of the game.

While those are hard to find, those expectations fell on UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman's shoulders in 2022. Perryman looked like he could live up to the hype in the preseason, consistently going toe to toe with All-American receiver Rome Odunze. However, a leg injury in the season opener against Kent State derailed those plans, and that injury seemed to nag at him all year long.

With Perryman off to the NFL, director of player personnel Courtney Morgan and the rest of recruiting and coaching staff have once again turned to the transfer portal, and secured a commitment from former Oklahoma State Cowboy Jabbar Muhammad. So what can he provide?

Over the last two seasons, Muhammad was the third-highest-graded cornerback in the Big 12 according to Pro Football Focus, recording 19 coverage stops. PFF also ranked Muhammad as the ninth most valuable player in the transfer portal, and the highest true defensive player (with Colorado's Travis Hunter expected to play both cornerback and wide receiver).

So what kind of value can Muhammad bring to the Washington secondary? Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui returning on the edge for the Huskies is going to be a huge help for co-defensive coordinators William Inge and Chuck Morrell, as the defensive line recorded 37 sacks in 2022, the third-most in the Pac-12.

Texas' game plan in the Alamo Bowl showed what an elite cornerback can do to change the game. After the defensive line wrecked the game in the first quarter, quarterback Quinn Ewers resorted to getting the ball out quickly to mitigate pressure.

If Muhammad can take away the primary read for the first two or three seconds of every play, the pass rush is going to hit home more often than not. Washington also only generated 12 total turnovers in 2022, and getting more pressure on the quarterback should lead to more errant throws and takeaways for the Huskies.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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