With the exception of the inside linebackers, who lost two senior starters but retained one in Edefuan Ulofoshio, no position group has dealt with more upheaval than the Washington offensive line.
But a bit of that has been by design.
Yes, they lost four seniors that had at least one start in 2019: Trey Adams, Nick Harris, Jared Hilbers, and Henry Roberts. But they also have back four offensive linemen with at least one start in 2019: Luke Wattenberg, Jaxson Kirkland, Henry Bainivalu, and Matteo Mele.
Wattenberg's starts were at left guard, while Kirkland's were at right guard. So you've got those positions settled, right?
No. Wattenberg has been taking all his reps at center, while Kirkland has made the ambitious move from right guard to left tackle, losing 25 pounds along the way.
And when asked Thursday to name his top-10 OL right now in the room, UW Offensive Line Coach Scott Huff rattled them off: Jaxson Kirkland, Luke Wattenberg, Henry Bainivalu, Ulumoo (M.J.) Ale, Victor Curne, Troy Fautanu, Matteo Mele, Nate Kalepo, Corey Luciano and Julius Buelow.
So he has a host of talented players to work with, but less than three weeks to put together a cohesive unit capable of going on the road and beating Cal on November 7. The Huskies were able to put full pads on just two days ago.
How is Huff going to get it done? In Thursday's media call, he talked about the position moves for Wattenberg and Kirkland, the push toward finding that best five or seven linemen he can count on for the shortened 2020 season, as well as how some of the first-year players have shown up, specifically players like Gaard Memmelaar and Roger Rosengarten.
For Wattenberg's part, he thinks Rosengarten looks the part of a young Trey Adams out at left tackle. The media were able to ask Luke about his move to center, ironically replacing his old UW teammate and former high school teammate Harris, what he loves about the move, and how he was able to stay fit and fighting despite the craziness of the coronavirus pandemic.
The media also spoke with senior running back Sean McGrew about the running backs room, their role in John Donovan's new offense, and added some insight into how the various position groups were able to hold each other accountable via group chats and videos of them working out to see who was staying sharp.
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