Huskies Give Pair of Redshirt Freshmen Their First Career Starts

Kahlee Tafai and Vincent Holmes each opened against USC on Saturday.

Vincent Holmes goes through an interception drill in spring. / Skylar Lin Visuals

As the University of Washington football team continues to rebuild and realign, the Huskies turned even younger with the starting lineup they unveiled for their 26-21 victory over USC on a cold and damp Saturday night in Montlake.

Offensive tackle Kahlee Tafai and safety Vincent Holmes, both redshirt freshmen, drew the first starting assignments of their UW careers -- the sixth and seventh true or redshirt frosh to open a game this season for Jedd Fisch's coaching staff.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Tafai became the Huskies' third different starting left tackle, following fellow redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo and junior Maximus McCree, who each opened four games before they were slowed by injuries.

Kahlee Tafai is shown getting ready to play by listening to something soothing or inspirational. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Faasolo and McCree both were in uniform for the USC game, with the 6-foot-8, 325-pound Faasolo spelling Tafai roughly every third series. However, the 6-foot-6, 295-pound McCree, trying to come back from a dislocated thumb, went through warm-ups but didn't see any game action.

Tafai steadily has worked his way into playing time after enduring a rough spring ball, missing half of it with injury and illness. Against the Trojans, the Los Angeles product seemed to hold up well against his hometown school, with he and his teammates enabling running back Jonah Coleman to run 23 times for 104 yards, his fifth outing of 100 or more.

"You felt the pride coming from him, the energy and the excitement," Fisch said of Tafai. "Yeah, it's taken 10 weeks to get that starting job. Now you have a great competition of guys who want to do it."

At safety, the 6-foot, 187-pound Holmes, a noted hitter, took over after injuries put junior Makell Esteen and senior Cam Broussard on the sideline. Holmes had 4 tackles against the Trojans.

"Vince Holmes is a [redshirt] freshman coming in and now he's starting a majority of the snaps," Fisch said. "I saw him out there a ton."

Broussard, the Sacramento State transfer, missed last week's game at Indiana, but was available to sub in for Holmes on Saturday.

Esteen was in uniform but didn't play against USC, this after putting up a career-beat 13 tackles against the Hoosiers a week ago.

For Holmes, it was vindication for his gaffe at Rutgers earlier in the season in which he ran onto the field to celebrate a blocked field goal, was flagged for illegal substitution and the penalty enabled the Scarlet Knights to push across a touchdown instead before the first half ended.

Against USC, the Huskies also started true freshmen linebacker Khmori House and tight end Decker DeGraaf, the latter in a two-TE alignment, and replaced senior Enokk Vimahi, the Ohio State transfer, at right guard with sophomore Landen Hatchett, another second-year player.

While some of the moves are injury related, others made with an eye on the future, as the Huskies try to build a more veteran program from inside out.

"I think that's just where we are right now," Fisch said. "We've had to make adjustments every week and make changes on the run and see where we are in year one," the UW coach said. "Those things are happening."

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