UW Defense Has One Position Area Where Starters Remain Unclear

One or both first-team slots are far from settled entering the fall.

Coming out of University of Washing spring practice, new coach Kalen DeBoer still finds himself having to settle on a quarterback, running back and an offensive line, dealing with more position uncertainty than not.

Putting together a Husky defense, however, appears far less complicated.

All through April, DeBoer referred to Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Bralen Trice as elite edge rushers and seemed to intimate that these were their jobs to lose. 

This spring, the new coaching staff steadily went to Tuli Letuligasenoa and Kuao Peihopa as the defensive linemen, Alex Cook and Asa Turner at the safeties, Mishael Powell and Jordan Perryman as the cornerbacks and Dominique Hampton at the hybrid Husky.

The closest thing to a defensive question mark over who plays regularly remains the inside linebackers — the starters were not clear as everyone emerged from the final scrimmage and put their helmets and shoulder pads away.

The first-unit backers were supposed to be Edefuan Ulofoshio and Carson Bruener, two guys who have never teamed together on the No. 1 defense, yet Ulofoshio injured his knee in winter conditioning and won't be back until next season begins.

Carson Bruener is always around the ball.  / UW Athletics

Bruener replaced Ulofoshio as the starter at midseason last fall when the defensvie leader injured an arm or a shoulder.

Incoming Pittsburgh transfer Cam Bright seemed like a natural replacement for Ulofoshio this time around, except that Alphonzo Tuputala, fully recovered from an Achilles tendon tear 12 months ago, seemed to spend more time with the No. 1 Husky defense this past spring than any other linebacker.

Add to that holdover sophomore Daniel Heimuli, who started a pair of games in 2021, and junior-college transfer Demario King, who has enough speed that he returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in high school. 

So who will it be?

Three years ago, a noticeable falloff at inside linebacker was one of the big reasons the UW went from Pac-12 champion to losing several close games and winding up with what was considered a disappointing 8-5 season. 

Edefuan Ulofoshio came up with a turnover in 2020.  / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

That situation created an opening for Ulofoshio to advance from walk-on to late-season 2019 starter to scholarship recipient to second-team All-Pac-12 performer the following season. 

Bruener, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound sophomore, with five starts in his 11 UW game appearances, is a legacy player, the son of former tight-end great Mark Bruener. He'll be tough to dislodge from the lineup if he can stay healthy.

Cam Bright returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown in the Peach Bowl / Chick-fil-A Bowl

The 6-foot, 219-pound Bright from Montgomery, Alabama, is the only one on the Husky roster who has a defensive touchdown as a Power 5 player, plus 20 starts behind him in the ACC. 

Bright returned a fumble 26 yards to score against Michigan State last December in the Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl, his final outing for Pitt before he transferred.

He's bonded with the inactive Ulofoshio, who, in turn, introduced the newcomer to Seattle to the local cuisine, Shake Shack, and served as an advisor during spring ball.

"He's like having an extra coach and a mentor, and he's younger than me," Bright said. "He helps me a lot."

And Shake Shack?

"I've spent about 50 percent of my check there already," the newcomer said of his monthly scholarship allotment. 

A 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior for Las Vegas, Ulofoshio is aiming for an in-season return for the Huskies, with a normal ACL recovery time likely pushing him into October, though it wouldn't be a surprise if he came back much sooner. 

When he comes back next season, who moves aside for him: Bright, Tuputala or Bruener?

"He's a monster," Bright said, having watched video of Ulofoshio. 

Alphonzo Tuputala (11) had a productive spring.  / Dan Raley

Tuputala could really scramble things if the 6-foot-2, 235-pound sophomore from Federal Way, Washington, insists on starting this fall. 

"People are going to know who he is in six months," co-defensive coordinator William Inge said of this guy during spring practice.

Trying to pick the Husky linebacker starters at the beginning of next season and at the end is about as easy as betting on the Kentucky Derby. 

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky FanNation stories as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Husky FanNation on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky FanNation on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven