The defensive side of the football will look considerably different next season. Ryan Walters will be the coordinator, and he’s likely bringing with him the defense that made him so successful at Illinois in 2022 – the cover one. The cover-one defense relies on man coverage on the outside with one safety deep. This kind of defense can be extremely effective with the right kind of athletes in the back end. Moreover, it provides the option for a heavier box and a more aggressive defensive front.
Interior Defensive Line Additions
Walters frequently used a five-man front at Illinois, both on early downs and in passing down situations. In 2022, the Illini had two defensive tackles tied for the most tackles for loss on the team with 13 each. Those same two defensive tackles also finished first and second on the team in sacks. The stacked front leads to great production opportunities from the defensive line, and it could translate to Washington.
Washington added two physical players at defensive tackle in the transfer portal. Western Michigan transfer Anterio Thompson is listed at 6’-3” and 293 pounds and will have one year of eligibility on Montlake. This past season, Thompson played over 400 snaps and tallied 17 quarterback hurries, 34 tackles, and 2 pass breakups for the Broncos. The Iowa native began his career with the Hawkeyes. In 2023, Thompson was a special teams player for Iowa and recorded a blocked punt at Northwestern. Thompson is a player who can consistently create havoc at the point of attack and will be set up to do so in Walters’ defense at Washington.
Utah transfer defensive lineman Simote Pepa adds to the size to the middle of Washington’s defensive line. At 6’-3” and 340 pounds, Pepa will be able to take up space on the interior and stuff run lanes. He had two tackles for loss in 2024 at Utah as a junior. In his freshman season, he had six tackles for loss and four sacks to go along with two pass breakups. Pepa is exactly the kind of player that the Husky defense needs at its core front. The unit struggled in run defense this past season, and a physical player like Pepa can fill that void.
Returners Up Front
Jacob Bandes and Sebastian Valdez are both out of eligibility, and Logan Sagapolu has one year remaining on the Washington defensive line. Sagapolu and Pepa are two players with exceptional size on the interior for next season’s defensive front. After transferring from Miami, Sagapolu transitioned from the offensive line to the defensive front as a nose tackle.
Elinneus Davis will return the most snaps on the interior defensive line next season. He was on the field for 169 plays, compared to Sagapolu’s 138 snaps. Davis played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman with a sack and four quarterback pressures. Jayvon Parker will be healthy for next season at the interior. An injury prior to the 2024 season delayed his first snaps until the Eastern Michigan game. Parker played four games with 121 snaps but tore his Achilles in the Rutgers game, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. He tallied a sack and seven quarterback pressures in four games played.
More Depth at EDGE
Last year’s defensive end room was very deep. The Huskies were able to rotate nine different players at EDGE in 2024. Voi Tunuufi started ten games, Isaiah Ward started five, DeShawn Lynch started four, and Zach Durfee started three but was hindered by turf toe. Of that group of four, only Tunuufi is out of eligibility. Lance Holtzclaw and Jayden Wayne entered the transfer portal, leaving six EDGE rushers on the roster who played at least one snap in 2024.
Washington brought in Arizona transfer Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei at the position. He led Arizona in tackles for loss last season with 8.5. Uiagalelei also had eight quarterback hurries, 2.5 sacks, and 35 tackles on the season. The former Wildcat will have one year of eligibility remaining.
This leaves a possible starting rotation of Ward, Lynch, Durfee, and Uiagalelei at the two EDGE spots. The roster will also have Russell Davis II in the rotation, who had a breakout performance against UCLA. His three-sack performance was coupled with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. It earned Davis Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
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