UW O-Line Should Get Another Shuffle Against Eastern Michigan

Here's an update on Husky personnel approaching Saturday's game.

D'Angalo Titialii snaps the ball to Will Rogers against Weber State. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Expect to see the University of Washington offensive line continue to rotate bodies against Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon and maybe longer, with the Huskies still trying to settle on the starters, according to coach Jedd Fisch.

For now, Fisch says his staff has seven players in contention for the five starting jobs up front, a situation that might not be rectified right away.

"I would expect us to continue to do that and I'm not so sure that won't happen all season long," the Husky coach said.

The Huskies opened with freshman Soane Faasolo at left tackle, junior Gaard Memmelaar at left guard, senior D'Angalo Titialii at center, senior Enokk Vimahi at right guard and sophomore Drew Azzopardi at right tackle, and then moved people around in all sorts of combinations in their 35-3 win over Weber State.

However, sophomore Landen Hatchett likely will claim one of those first-unit spots once he's at full strength following knee surgery and he's getting closer. He played both guard spots and center in the opener against Weber State.

Redshirt freshman Zach Henning, who likewise plays guard and center, might be the other contender for significant snaps, though Fisch didn't spell that out.

Of the other linemen used in the opener, redshirt freshman Kahlee Tafai drew game time at tackle and freshman Paki Finau was inserted on the final series at guard.

"These guys are getting rotated because they should be rotated," Fisch said of his linemen in general. "And that's what we should be doing."

Newcomer Maximus McCree, who played briefly at Maryland and twice attended junior college, didn't dress for the Weber State game. He's dealing with a multitude of issues since leaving college to help support his family, his coach said. Conditioning was one of them. Still, he has showed plenty of potential.

"He had a really nice camp," Fisch said of McCree.

Elsewhere, Fisch said junior cornerback Darren Barkins, who made a late bid for playing time in fall camp but still has issues after suffering a season-ending injury at Michigan State last year, likely will be a game-time decision.

Redshirt freshman corner Leroy Bryant, who played in seven games in 2023 but got hurt midway through fall camp, missed the Weber State game and won't be available for Eastern Michigan either. He's expected back for practice on Monday at the earliest.

Logan Sagapolu, the Miami transfer who was converted from the offensive line to defense, played only a handful of snaps against Weber State as he gets in better playing condition, While Sagapolu is listed at 6-foot-2 and 368 pounds, Fisch said the new guy has dropped 20 pounds. Increasing playing time might depend on decreasing weight.

"i would expect his role to grow each week," Fisch said. "It depends on who we're playing."

Tight end Quentin Moore, injured against Weber State by a player running off the sideline to tackle him, will miss the Eastern Michigan game, his coach said, with what appears to be a knee issue.

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