The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - go through each position group to recap what the coaches and players have talked about since the media are only allowed 20 minutes per week to watch the team and gather video and photos. And there has been a lot to chew on.
The media has spoken this week to UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake, new offensive coordinator John Donovan, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, offensive line coach Scott Huff, and linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Bob Gregory. They also spoke with Luke Wattenberg, Sean McGrew, Josiah Bronson, Ryan Bowman, Keith Taylor, and Elijah Molden.
So what did the Dawgman guys get out of those conversations, as well as the two 20-minute sessions they've seen of the team since a week ago Friday? Plenty. There's certainly a lot to suss out when it comes to the four-man quarterback battle (Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris, Ethan Garbers, and Kevin Thomson), as well as how a bigger running back stable will impact Donovan's attempts to create an aggressive, downhill rush game.
And what about the freshman receivers? Everyone has been bigging up Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Sawyer Racanelli. And with the Huskies awarding Jack Westover with a scholarship, that means UW now has six tight ends with rides (Westover, Cade Otton, Devin Culp, Mark Redman, Mason West, and Jack Yary). And that's not even counting Jacob Kizer, who has opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. How do they plan to use them all?
There's also plenty of talk about the offensive line. UW's most experienced linemen are moving positions (Luke Wattenberg to center and Jaxson Kirkland to left tackle), and their backups are HUGE. If you take the current official roster as the gospel, there are SEVEN offensive linemen at 315 pounds or heavier. As Lake said Friday to the media, there's a reason they don't let Heavyweights fight Lightweights. The Heavyweights would destroy them. And he wants to put that to the test on the football field.
Switching over the defensive side of the ball, the Dawgman guys talk about UW losing two of their most talented players in Levi Onwuzurike and Joe Tryon, but the Huskies kept Elijah Molden, who will be a huge key for Death Row in 2020. How will the front seven reinvent themselves without two of their key cogs? And at inside linebacker, Edefuan Ulofoshio rose up at the end of last year to establish himself in the middle. But who will run inside with him? And which players out of that talented group of redshirt freshman ILBs will bust out this fall?
There are so many talented defensive backs, where does a guy like Kyler Gordon end up? Or Julius Irvin? Or Kamren Fabiculanan? Is there just not enough turns for the four true freshmen this fall (Jacobe Covington, James Smith, Elijah Jackson, Makell Esteen)?
The Dawgman guys break down their thoughts on all those questions, and more, in this comprehensive recap of what we learned the last week.
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