The implementation of a new defense on Montlake has been fascinating to follow. As we are about two weeks into the Fall, we’re starting to see how it might come together for Washington this season. The new defense, however, is not Steve Belichick’s defense. “It’s our defense. It’s the UW defense, it’s the players, the coaches working together to figure it all out,” Belichick said. He has been showing a lot of rotation at all levels, and it has been solid in scrimmage sessions. Here’s a look into the notepad on the things we’ve seen from the Washington defense this Fall.
Defensive Back Rotation
The secondary is a spot where we expect to see a lot of rotation all season. Washington has the bodies, and the experience, to do just that. They added Cameron Broussard and Justin Harrington in the Spring, a couple of players who have played a lot of football. There are veterans including Kamren Fabiculanan, a sixth-year player, and Makell Esteen who’s in his fifth season on Montlake.
One of the main pairings at safety has been Broussard and Fabiculanan. The two combine for ten seasons of college football, bringing immense experience to the second level. We projected this duo back in July, and it is looking like this could be something we see this Fall. But the rotation in the secondary is constant, and that will be a part of how Belichick runs this Washington defense.
Jackson Slides to the Slot
The base nickel defense features five defensive backs including two safeties, two cornerbacks, and a nickelback, known as the STAR in this defense. Hence, rotation becomes a necessity to keep guys healthy. That STAR position has seen players including Jordan Shaw, Dyson McCutcheon, Harrington, and now Elijah Jackson rotate in. Jackson has made the slide to the slot-corner position a handful of different times so far this Fall.
One of the ways that Belichick described this STAR position is that it needs someone who can play closer to the formation, get in on run defense, and also guard the slot. Jackson’s quickness makes him a great option for that position because of his innate instinct as a coverage corner. Now he is getting to utilize his ability to explode downward on the formation to make plays for the defense. We’ll continue to watch how Jackson gets utilized on the Washington defense, but it seems as though the slot corner or STAR position is among the options.
Rotation on the Defensive Line
Along the defensive front, we’ve seen a couple of groups rotate in. The main group features a nearly healthy Zach Durfee on the EDGE wearing his new number five. The coaching staff expects Durfee to be back to full health for this weekend’s Mock Game on Saturday night. He suffered an arm injury early in the Spring that required surgery. At the other EDGE spot, Jacob Lane has been in the rotation along with Voi Tunuufi. Lane is a true sophomore who played in nine games last season. Tunuufi has played in every game since the beginning of the 2022 season.
Another player who should see significant time along the defensive line is Sacramento State transfer Deshawn Lynch. We’ve made note of him lining up at the left-end spot, and his skillset has made him a disruptive player along the front. During the scrimmage portion of practice, Lynch shed a block and elevated to break up a pass from Will Rogers right at the line of scrimmage. He also showed off his speed to the edge while chasing down Demond Williams Jr. as he evaded the pocket. The 6’-5” junior has played three seasons of college football and looks to be a versatile option for Washington on its defensive line.
Stability On The Interior
The duo of Jacob Bandes and Sebastian Valdez at interior defensive line seems to be steady this Fall. Valdez is one of the strongest players on the team and consistently shows great push along the front. He is also quick on his feet to get into holes and fill assignments on that defensive line. Bandes has loads of experience on the Washington defense, being a sixth-year player and having played in every game since the start of the 2022 season. These two have been consistently lining up with the presumed starting group at defensive tackle.
Young Players Moving Up
One of the young players in on the rotation has been Peyton Waters. He has seen the field with the presumed starting group on a handful of different occasions during scrimmage sessions. The true freshman defensive back was a four-star and top-20 safety in his class of 2024. Waters enrolled early at Washington where he took part in Spring practice. That extra time in the program has translated into him working his way up to get opportunities with the top group.
Safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri praised Waters’ progress after practice, “He doesn’t make a lot of repeat errors.” Waters has hauled in a couple of interceptions this Fall during the scrimmage sessions and continues to progress his abilities as a young player. Waters’ ability to learn a new defense, translate that to the field, and clean up his mistakes has been impressive given his age. Communication and understanding assignments are critical in the safety position, and it seems as though Waters has a handle on that already.
On the defensive line, sophomore EDGE rusher Jayden Wayne has also rotated in with the team’s presumed starting front seven. The former Miami Hurricane transferred to Washington this Spring. Wayne is a native of Tacoma, Washington, and brings his former four-star pedigree to the Husky front. Wayne is listed as 6’-6” and 262 pounds with a physical presence on the outside of the line. Washington is loaded at EDGE, but Wayne appears to be quickly rising within the group.
