Sights and sounds from Washington’s fourth spring practice

The Washington Huskies held their fourth spring practice on Tuesday, which was dominated by the defense.

Jedd Fisch is known for his offense but said after practice on Tuesday that he wants the Washington Huskies’ identity to be on the defensive side of the ball.

“The defense was flying around today which was nice to see,” Fisch said on Tuesday. “There was some good communication out there, which gives us a chance to become a really good defensive football team which is the goal right now.”

He went on to say that defenses are usually a little ahead of the offense in the spring, but Washington’s defense has an extra leg up thanks to some outside help. Former New England Patriots head coach and eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick was in attendance for a second straight practice to lend his coaching expertise.

On one particular play during 7on7 drills, Belichick pulled safety Makell Esteen aside to offer his viewpoint, which is something he has been doing since he arrived at Washington on Friday.

“I think the players are extremely excited about the opportunity to hear from a guy that has won eight Super Bowls,” Fisch said.

While the defense won the day, sophomore wide receiver Denzel Boston continued his very strong start to camp. He scored the offense’s only touchdown of the day, going up and over cornerback Elijah Jackson and taking a throw from quarterback Will Rogers into the end zone.

Later on, he made another athletic grab through tight coverage from cornerback Ephesians Prysock and safety Kamren Fabiculanan, who delivered a big hit on the play.

Spring Practice Notebook

  • Cornerback Jordan Shaw was arguably the biggest winner of the day. He recorded two interceptions, the first on Demond Williams in one-on-one drills and the second on Rogers in a 7on7 period.
  • Cornerback Curley Reed also pulled in an interception during one-on-one drills, but the best play was made by wide receiver Keith Reynolds, who burned Fabiculanan for a touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball from Rogers.
  • The biggest winners from the day were along the defensive line, who overwhelmed the inexperienced offensive line. Edge rusher Jacob Lane recorded a pair of pseudo-sacks, while edges Zach Durfee and Maurice Heims also made their way to the quarterback.
  • Speaking of the offensive line, as offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll attempts different combinations up front, the starting group from left to right on Tuesday consisted of: Sione Faasolo, Paki Finau, Zach Henning, Michael Watkins, Drew Azzopardi.
  • Demond Williams got some reps with the first team offense on Tuesday and displayed his impressive touch and accuracy. His best throw came on a back shoulder bullet to wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter, and while their timing was slightly off, it was a good day for the freshman.
  • Jedd Fisch addressed the two counts of rape that led to the arrest of running back Tybo Rogers, more on that here.
  • Fisch also stated that he doesn’t expect redshirt freshman safety Diesel Gordon to be back anytime soon, adding that Gordon’s situation is not related to Rogers.