With a cold wind whipping inside the stadium, the Washington Huskies took to the field for the first time under coach Jedd Fisch. By the time Darude’s Sandstorm came blasting over the loudspeaker, signaling the final scrimmage period of the day, plenty of questions still need answers but the Huskies seem to be in a fairly decent spot moving forward.
Fisch considered Wednesday “a day of teaching” as his coaching staff began to install its system on both sides of the ball, with the head coach stating he wants “80-85 percent” of the offense and defense installed by the time the spring game rolls around on May 3.
After the departure of quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a lot of the offensive install will fall on Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers, and four-star freshmen Demond Williams and Dermaricus Davis. After practice, Fisch had some high praise for his quarterbacks, but acknowledged the freshmen still have a long way to go after their first practice.
“I think Demond came out and had a really good day,” he said after practice. “I think [Davis] did some good things, he looked like he was a little in the anxiety phase of some reps, but I don’t care if they’re freshman or not, it’s time for them to go out and compete. They don’t wear a jersey that says how old they are so it’s time for them to go out and see how good they can be.”
Throughout the next four weeks, it appears that philosophy is going to apply to all positions, not just at quarterback. Although there’s no official depth chart, the team period was riddled with freshmen among the first and second team.
Spring practice notebook
- Arizona transfer Ephesians Prysock has elite size. The cornerback is every bit of 6-foot-4 and is incredibly agile. He appears to be primed for a breakout season in the Big Ten.
- Another Arizona transfer, running back Jonah Coleman, is built a lot like former NFL running back Mike Tolbert with massive legs. He moves well for his size, put out impressive tape at Arizona, and as Fisch said, “he’s hard to tackle.”
- Even sitting in the stands, I don’t want to be in the way of freshman offensive lineman Michael Watkins. He builds a head of steam while pulling, and has the potential to be a powerful center or guard as he develops.
- Cornerbacks Thaddeus Dixon and Dyson McCutcheon both took reps with the starters on Wednesday, while Elijah Jackson ran with the second team. However, it is way too soon to declare a “winner” at any starting spot.
- True freshman safety Peyton Waters ran with the second team defense and displayed impressive footwork. Combined with his high football IQ, he’s someone who could carve out a role as the coaching staff searches for depth at the position.