Primer for Friday Night's UW Spring Football Game

As Jedd Fisch prepares to host a big party on Friday night at Husky Stadium, welcoming curious fans inside to see what he's done with the University of Washington football team over a month's time, the new coach still has one big concern.

He's got plenty of skill players to choose from, but he'll have to patch together some sort of offensive line just to get through a closing spring game before an expected large crowd that will include numerous program VIPs. Husky legends in offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, safety Lawyer Milloy, defensive tackle Danny Shelton and quarterback Jake Locker -- three former All-Americans and a one-time top 10 draft pick -- will serve as honorary coaches. Vita Vea, former UW All-American and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle, is among those alums indicating they'll attend the spring finale. Activities begin at 6:30 p.m.

The good news for Fisch is he's come though 14 practices so far in fairly good shape in terms of avoiding long-term injuries and dealing with the transfer portal, two things that can ruin a fall football season.

He's lost just one player to a spring-ending injury that required a surgical repair in senior edge rusher Zach Durfee, who left a Saturday spring practice with his right elbow in a sling and a grimace on his face. His rehabilitation, his coach insists, won't take no more than two months.

As for the portal, Fisch lost no established players, rather he bid farewell to a promising 4-star quarterback in 6-foot-5, 187-pound Dermaricus Davis, who left after he became the second-best freshman signal-caller in spring ball behind Demond Williams Jr., and 6-foot-5, 272-pound defensive tackle Anthony James, a once-touted Texas recruit who couldn't settle on a position or stay healthy in his brief spell with Husky football.

Offensively, Fisch will split up his highly capable quarterbacks in Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers and Williams, his promising running backs and a fairly solid group of receivers. Again, the O-line will involve whoever is available, which will include every last walk-on.

On the defensive side, the coach should have at least two of everything to put on a good show, even with Durfee relegated to spectator status.

Noticeably, the Husky offensive line has gone from being hailed as college football's best and the Joe Moore Award winner filled with players now in the NFL or SEC to a youngish, injury-rehabbing and greatly inexperienced crew, to the point Fisch was left with almost all young pups to work with.

This particular situation won't be fully addressed until after the spring game is played and the transfer portal is fully examined. How Fisch eventually deals with it very well could determine whether the Huskies end up with something such as a seven- or eight-win season or end up with double-digit victories in their first year in the Big Ten.

While the portal remains a moving target in finding accomplished O-linemen, the UW's early efforts have bordered on the underwhelming so far. The Huskies have commitments from an FCS player and another from a Sun Belt product who leans to the lighter side when compared to what's already on Fisch's roster.

One problem in securing top-level FBS linemen with ample credentials is some of the early targets have come through Montlake asking for unreal amounts of name, image and likeness money, even for playing just a season.

The following is a position-by-position breakdown of who's in uniform and what to expect as spring football comes to a close in festive fashion:

QUARTERBACK -- It's Rogers against Williams. A sixth-year senior against a true freshman. The arm against the feet. A 12,315-yard passer against one beginning at zero. With the Husky offensive line such a question mark, Fisch will have to do everything he can to keep these guys healthy throughout the coming season. He'll need both of them.

RUNNING BACK -- Junior Jonah Coleman will match carries against true freshman Adam Mohammed, a pair of Fisch imports from Arizona. The compact Coleman resembles a bowling ball with his overly physical running style while the speedy Muhammed has the ability to get out in open space and go. Holdover Husky backs in senior Cam Davis and junior Sam Adams II, limited spring participants while dealing with injuries, will watch.

RECEIVERS -- Unless Fisch chooses to mix up his pass-catchers from recent rotations, he'll have sophomore Denzel Boston, and seniors Giles Jackson and Jeremiah Hunter in one group and redshirt freshmen Rashid Williams and Keith Reynolds and freshman Audric Harris in the other. Boston has been the Huskies' most impressive spring performer at any position, catching nearly everything thrown his way. For tight ends, senior Quentin Moore will be on one side and sophomore Ryan Otton and freshman Decker DeGraaf likely on the other, with DeGraaf a spring surprise for his immediate comfort levels.

OFFENSIVE LINE -- The Huskies' basically have one unit available for the spring game and a handful of subs to change things up. The No. 1 group when regular practice wound down consisted of redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo at left tackle, freshman Paki Finau at left guard, redshirt freshman Zach Henning at center, redshirt freshman Kahlee Tafai at right guard and San Diego sophomore transfer Drew Azzopardi at right tackle. Azzopardi might be the only one in the starting lineup for the season opener against Weber State. A year from now, all of these guys could form a most promising. O-line, all filled out physically and fully knowledgable in what's required of them. Sophomore center Landen Hatchett and junior offensive guard Gaard Memmelaar, rehabbing from knee injuries, will watch.

DEFENSIVE LINE -- The UW's No. 1 edge rushers in Arizona transfer Isaiah Ward and Durfee both could sit this one out with injuries, but there should be plenty of bodies to go around. A first unit presumably will have offer a front four of sophomores Lance Holtzclaw and Jacob Lane on the edges, and defensive linemen in sophomore Jayvon Parker and Montana State senior transfer Sebastian Valdez. A second group should have senior Voi Tunuufi and Arizona junior transfer Russell Davis II on the edges, flanked around senior Jacob Bandes and redshirt freshman Elinneus Davis.

LINEBACKERS -- The Huskies have no shortage of veteran, experienced linebackers with seniors Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala trotted out first, followed by seniors Drew Fowler and San Jose State transfer Bryun Parham. All except Fowler have been all-conference, honorable-mention selections. Tuputala and Fowler are entering their sixth seasons. The defense will be built around them and their leadership.

SECONDARY -- The first group of UW defensive backs, if recent rotations hold up, could consist of Arizona junior transfer Ephesians Prysock and senior Thaddeus Dixon at the corners, senior Kam Fabiculanan and junior Makell Esteen at the safeties, and junior Dyson McCutcheon at nickelback. A second unit likely has returning junior starter Elijah Jackson and redshirt freshman Leroy Bryant at the corners, redshirt freshman Vincent Holmes and freshman Peyton Waters at safety, and Indiana redshirt freshman transfer Jordan Shaw at nickel.

KICKERS -- The Huskies have one of the most reliable kickers at the college level in junior Grady Gross and a returning two-year starter at punter in junior Jack McCallister at punter, a special-teams gift to the Fisch coaching staff. Backing up both is junior Adam Saul, formerly of Illinois State.

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