With 2 Scrimmages Coming, Here Are UW Reserves Poised to Move Up

The Huskies have kept its core of players together so far this spring.

Dan Raley | Apr 22, 2022

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Washington Huskies

Through 10 University of Washington spring football practices, or two-thirds of the way through this annual offseason head-banging, the Husky lineups haven't changed much at all.

Jimmy Lake used to trot out a lot of different combinations of personnel every session, always experimenting with his guys, continually shuffling the deck.

New leader Kalen DeBoer largely chooses to use the same order of players, at least in the hour-long practice segments he's made available for media viewing.

Outside of injuries that might force his hand, DeBoer acknowledges he's preferred to use a main core of players as starters so far while his assistant coaches have installed new systems and made these practices more about teaching than competing.

Now DeBoer will conduct two scrimmages on the next two Saturdays for everyone to see after holding one last week witnessed only by a few people.

If there's going to be much depth-chart movement this spring, it will happen in the coming week.

While starting lineups have been reported over and over so far, we're going to examine the UW's most recent second teams to consider where the best position battles on this team might emerge. A gallery of Husky hopefuls, photographed by Skylar Lin, is included here to help break this down.

Husky Photo Gallery

Michael Penix Jr. and Dylan Morris have been 1-2 at quarterback.

Junior Alexander, a back-up wide receiver, transferred to the UW from Arizona State.

UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman was used as a starter until getting injured.

Walk-on Nick Juran won't earn a starting job, but he draws the occasional second-team rep.

Sam Huard has been given the opportunity to be the No. 1 QB, but he's still learning.

Football for Dummies / Skylar Lin Visuals

Julius Buelow, a five-game starter in 2021, is working with the No. 2 defense.

Walk-on Brennan Holmes makes a difficult catching while running with second-team offensive players.

Kam Fabiculanan has been running No. 2 at hybrid Husky.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui (58) has been running No. 2 at edge rusher, but should pair with Bralen Trice (8) as the starter.

Kam Fabiculanan and Mishael Powell share a moment at practice.

On offense, the Husky backups have been Julius Buelow, Gaard Memmelaar, Geirean Hatchett, Myles Murao and Roger Rosengarten on the offensive line, Taj Davis, Junior Alexander and Giles Jackson at wide receivers, Quinten Moore at tight end, Jay'Veon Sunday at running back and Dylan Morris at quarterback.

Of this group, Buelow (5), Davis (6), Jackson (3) and Morris (11) are previous UW starters from last season.

This group up front represents the Husky O-line of the future, with most of these players heavily recruited, physically mature after two or more years in the weight room and itching to play on a regular basis.

If line changes happen between now and the Kent State opener, look for Hatchett at center and Rosengarten at right tackle to unseat veterans Corey Luciano and Matteo Mele, respectively. They're promising players patiently waiting for greater responsibility. Hatchett, in fact, recently was inserted at No. 1 left guard. He seems ready for a breakthrough.

Otherwise, it will be difficult for anyone else to earn a promotion. Sophomore Troy Fautanu, now the starting left tackle, might be the best Husky lineman to this point, has drawn plaudits and has practically assured himself of a No. 1 spot somewhere. Last season, he pulled starts at left tackle and left guard. He's waiting on the idle situation surrounding Jaxson Kirkland to play out to see where he winds up, whether at tackle or guard.

Kirkland, a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 selection, is awaiting NCAA approval on his request to play a sixth season after missing a deadline for declaring his intentions. He previously started two seasons at left tackle and two more at right guard. He'll play somewhere the starters are waved onto the field in the fall barring an unforeseen rejection of his eligibility.

The Huskies likewise will need to make room for Henry Bainivalu, a senior and a starter at right guard during each of the past three seasons, but someone who's been relegated to limited practice time by injury this spring.

At wide receiver, Davis started half of last season because one or all of the three starters ahead of him were injured at times, but he's worthy of meaningful minutes if needed. Tight end Jack Westover bounces between the first and second units, depending on the sets.

For running backs, New Mexico transfer Aaron Dumas and Sunday have run 1-2 all spring and been getting almost all of the 11-on-11 reps out of default. Six other runners, including walk-ons, have missed spring drills because of injury or illness. A pair of transfer backs won't arrive until fall. Sunday seems capable of playing important snaps, but anything goes with this position in the fall.

Morris, a two-year starter, doesn't have the overall skill set of current quarterback starter Michael Penix Jr., the Indiana transfer. Yet after going through DeBoer's quarterback boot camp, Morris should be more effective if called on, especially if Penix stumbles or gets injured again.

The 11 current starters plus the prospects of a healthy and eligible Kirkland and Bainivalu will make it tough for many players to move up on offense for now. Hatchett is the best bet.

Defensively, that's a different story. A lot of movement is possible.

The Huskies trotted out a No. 2 defense earlier this week of Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Sav'ell Smalls at edge rushers, Jacob Bandes and Draco Bynum at the down linemen, Demario King and Carson Bruener at inside linebackers, Zakhari Spears and Davon Banks at cornerbacks, Cam Williams and Julius Irvin at safeties, and Kamren Fabiculanan at the hybrid Husky position.

From this group, former starters from last season include ZTF (3), Bandes (1), Bruener (5), Williams (3), Irvin (2) and Fabiculanan (1).

ZTF and Bruener, slowed by weight loss or minor injury, should reclaim their No. 1 jobs by the time the season rolls around in September or sooner. The former was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection when healthy, the latter a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.

With two interceptions in the first scrimmage, Banks made himself a stronger candidate at cornerback in the coaches' eyes in a wide-open competition.

Finally, Williams has been an off-and-on safety starter for each of the past three seasons, but he hasn't been able to hang onto the position for long. He's always a starting possibility, though he seems to have lost ground this spring.

Caught in between the first and second units last week, because of injuries to others, are cornerback Jacobe Covington, defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi and inside linebacker Daniel Heimuli. Each has spent most of the spring on the No. 2 defense. Tunuufi (2) and Heimuli (2) pulled spot starts last year. Covington will need to beat out UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman, an All-Big Sky performer who was impressive before he was injured.

In sum, the Huskies will probably shuffle the defense some heading into the fall, but not so much the offense.

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Published Apr 22, 2022

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.