Husky Roster Review: This Guy Is a Dunn Deal in Secondary

The UW gave him great responsibility from the outset in 2022.

Dan Raley | May 22, 2023

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Washington Huskies

Most Power 5 college football teams ease their freshmen onto the field for the first time, into something safe, usually with the outcome long decided.

Not Tristan Dunn.

He made his college debut on the fourth defensive play of the University of Washington's sixth game at Arizona State, in a matchup still very much in doubt, in a pressurized situation.

Dunn was badly needed at safety, with the Huskies short-handed at just about every position in the secondary because of multiple injuries and fellow safety Asa Turner getting ejected early on for a late hit on that day in the desert.

Early in the second quarter, Dunn — once committed to the Sun Devils before flipping to the UW — was one of four Husky freshmen playing on the defense all at once, joined by first-year defensive tackle Jayvon Parker and redshirt freshman cornerback Elijah Jackson and redshirt freshman safety Makell Esteen.

"I was just competing all fall camp looking for a spot and I got lucky with that game," Dunn said. "They gave me an opportunity and I just tried to capitalize."

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Dunn, who wears No. 12 on defense, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

Tristan Dunn prepares to slam into a blocking dummy in this spring practice drill, with co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell intently watching.

Chuck Morrell and Tristan Dunn were in deep discussion last season as they walked off the field following practice.

SECONDARY FRATERNITY / Skylar Lin Visuals

Tristan Dunn (12) leaves the field in Dempsey Indoor with Makell Esteen (24), Asa Turner (20) and Kamren Fabiculanan (13) among others.

Safety/Husky Tristan Dunn slams into blocking dummy held by a teammate during spring practice.

Long and lean Tristan Dunn grabs the football in this drill simulating an interception in Dempsey Indoor during spring practice.

Defensive back Tristan Dunn wears No. 12 for the Huskies, which he shares with wide receiver Denzel Boston, a fellow redshirt freshman.

Tristan Dunn will be looking for his first college interception this season, with the Husky secondary as a group fairly lean on turnovers in recent seasons.

There's a certain ruggedness to Tristan Dunn, who's fairly straightforward when answering media questions and offering his opinion.

Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff brought in the 6-foot-4, 189-pound Dunn of Sumner, Washington, as one of the few local recruits for 2022, along with tight end Ryan Otton from Tumwater and wide receiver Denzel Boston from South Hill, as recruiting relationships had to be rebuilt.

Dunn never drew an easy outing with the Huskies last season. While the coaches ultimately chose to redshirt him, they also sent him onto the field with the outcome in doubt against Arizona, Washington State in the Apple Cup and Texas in the Alamo Bowl.

This past spring, Dunn entered the mix as a starting candidate at both safety and the Husky hybrid position. Asked whether he preferred one job over the other, he said, "We're just testing right now. I just play ball."

There's a certain rugged element to this tall and rangy defender, whose talents co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell has promoted all along since they first began working together.

"He's put on 10 pounds, learned the playbook and he's a guys we can anticipate being able to help us out," Morrell said. "That's a big push."

Whether or not Dunn becomes a first-teamer, he's projected to play a lot for the Huskies this coming season.

Yes, with games on the line.

TRISTAN DUNN FILE

Service: Dunn played in the requisite four games to gain some valuable experience, yet none of the outings were gimmes in Arizona State, Arizona, Washington State and Texas. He has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Stats: He logged one tackle during the season, getting it at Arizona State.

Role: Dunn likely becomes a well-used backup, but the coaches are high on him and it wouldn't be surprising if he worked his way into the starting lineup next season if anyone else struggles or gets dinged up.

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Published May 22, 2023

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.