Here's What Husky Defense Is Beginning to Look Like

The UW stop unit could have a lot of interesting playmakers.

Zach Durfee delivers a blow to UW offensive guard Aidan Anderson. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Piece by piece, the University of Washington defensive unit slowly is coming together. If this was all a big jigsaw puzzle, the insertion of Zach Durfee into Friday's scrimmage play went a long way in enabling the Huskies to see the big picture.

The 6-foot-5, 256-pound Durfee, so solidly built wth elite athleticism, just looks like an NFL player waiting to happen. It's little wonder the visiting Bill Belichick engaged the junior from Dawson, Minnesota, in a lengthy on-field conversation on Thursday.

Once they get everyone healthy, the Huskies stand to have a bevy of playmakers interspersed throughout the defensive lineup, especially up front. Here's what it might look like:

Consider a front four of Arizona transfer Isaiah Ward and Durfee as the No. 1 edge rushers, and Montana State transfer Sebastian Valdez and either sixth-year senior Jacob Bandes or 6-foot-2, 368-pound senior Miami transfer Logan Sagapolu as the defensive tackles.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Ward, who likewise was chatted up by the legendary Belichick on the practice field, is an 11-game starter from last season who gave Oklahoma fits in the Alamo Bowl, with his fourth-quarter strip sack preventing the Sooners from driving for a tying score in the Wildcats' 38-24 victory in San Antonio. He comes off a season of 4 sacks with the promise of a lot more.

On Friday, Durfee showed off his speed by running step for step with tailback Jonah Coleman on a pass route in the left flat, never allowing any separation between these two before breaking up the play, a mesmerizing move on Durfee's part.

It might seem bold to say this, but Ward and Durfee have a chance to be a more effective edge-rushing tandem than Bralen Trice and Zion Fetui-Tupuola. It will all come down to sacks -- Trice and ZTF combined for 10.5 last season, which could easily be reachable.

Up front, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Valdez, with his 405-pound bench press, stands to be the strongest defensive lineman the Huskies have had in nearly a half-dozen seasons, since Vita Vea and Greg Gaines played up front for the UW. Valdez comes off a 5-sack season in the Big Sky, 16 in his career in Bozeman. In contrast, last year's starters, Tuli Letuligasenoa and Faatui Tuitele, chronically beat up as their lengthy careers came to a close, didn't register a sack in 2023 and finished with a combined 5.5 in their time spent in Montlake.

At linebacker, the Huskies seem set with a pair of tough-minded seniors in 6-foot-2, 226-pound Carson Bruener and 6-foot-2, 230-pound Alphonzo Tuputala, who have a collective 355 career tackles between them. While they'll win most of the street fights, the only thing questionable about this duo is whether they have enough speed to prevent someone such as Michigan's Donovan Edwards from running away from them, as the Wolverines speedster did with 41- and 46-yard touchdown scampers in the national championship game. San Jose State transfer Bryun Parham might be a little speedier and will play a lot of minutes.

Turning to the secondary, cornerback looks to be in excellent hands with sophomore Arizona transfer Ephesians Prysock, returning junior starter Elijah Jackson and senior back-up Thaddeus Dixon waging a furious battle for the two starting spots. Prysock, with his 6-foot-4, 191-pound frame, is certain to have one of the longest reaches of any FBS corner nationwide.

The three remaining defensive back positions remain in competition. Take nickelback, for instance. Junior Dyson McCutcheon had the No. 1 job throughout spring ball. Sophomore Tristan Dunn just returned to the team after missing the first week of fall practice. Redshirt freshman Indiana transfer Jordan Shaw has been the starter much of fall camp. Shaw appears to be the leader.

Safety is where the real mystery lies on the defense. It could be senior Sacramento State transfer Cameron Broussard, who's pulled more snaps in the back row than anyone else, and a host of players for the remaining starting role. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, Broussard is another guy with a captivating long reach. Sixth-year senior Kamren Fabiculanan, an 11-game starter in his UW career, stands to be the other guy, but junior Makell Esteen is in the middle of this competition, too. Oklahoma seventh-year senior transfer Justin Harrington, who goes 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, still awaits medical clearance after a season-ending knee injury in 2023 to have full contact.

As playmakers go, Valdez, Ward, Prysock and Durfee could make this defense one that tends to force the issue rather than simply keeps the Huskies in the game, which is what it did last season.

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