Inside Husky Stadium, UW kicks off under the lights on Friday night for its annual “Dawgs After Dark” spring game. Among the players to watch on the defensive side of the ball, two of the team’s standout performers during the month of April were from the class of 2024. They each spent the first two years of their careers in the second and third team rotations. But throughout 14 spring practices, these two players elevated their games, and the coaches have taken notice.
UW Spring Game Defense
CB Elias Johnson
At cornerback, Elias Johnson emerged as one of the top pass defenders this spring. When he stepped foot on campus back in 2024, Johnson was just 159 pounds with his 6’-2” frame. But now beginning his third year on Montlake, Johnson is up to about 180 pounds this spring. And his performance on the field has earned him first-team reps throughout the majority of the month of April.
“He’s done a great job with Tanner and T.O. in the weight room,” secondary coach John Richardson said of Johnson this spring. “Putting on a lot of weight and being able to move and transition really well. So shout out to Coach Mo, working with him during the offseason, being able to get in position to make plays, and he’s doing a fantastic job right now.”
Transfer cornerback Emmanuel Karnley was somewhat limited over the course of the month. His absence afforded Johnson consistent looks with the starting defense, and he’s delivered. Unofficially, Johnson broke up 10 passes during team periods of practice this month, the most on the team. He also had one interception while battling the best of this Husky receiver room.
Johnson’s Progression at UW
A year ago at this time, Johnson made a statement in the 2025 spring game. He pulled down an interception off the arm of backup quarterback Kai Horton on a deep sideline pass. The 6’-2” corner played sparingly during the regular season, just 12 total snaps on defense and three games played. But he’s now added strength to his game and has shown his ability to win the contested battles at the catch point. Johnson has also increased his reliability in man coverage on the outside.
“His physicality and him being able to stick with wide receivers and not get pushed off and things like that. So he’s been doing a great job,” Richardson said of Johnson.
Throughout the spring, there have been a few teaching points for the redshirt sophomore. He has dropped a pair of interceptions and been beaten off the line of scrimmage by Washington’s speedy receivers on a couple of occasions. But on the same token, Johnson’s understanding of the defense has allowed him to play freely while thinking less.
As such, he’s shown an instinct to break on the football when it’s in the air. He’s been aggressive at the formation when lined up in single coverage against a wideout. Johnson hasn’t won every battle, but he’s been involved in a lot of battles for the football this spring. The coaching staff has seen that cerebral improvement out of the 6’-2” cornerback. And his 10 pass breakups and interception this spring are there to show for it.
S Paul Mencke Jr.
Another third-year player with limited game experience who’s turned heads this spring is safety Paul Mencke Jr. The safety room returns the team’s leading tackler and a freshman All-American in 2025 in Alex McLaughlin and Rylon Dillard-Allen, respectively. But it’s not a room lacking talent, and Mencke has elevated his game among that group.
At 6’-3” and 201 pounds, Mencke’s game is versatile. He lines up at the post safety spot with frequency and patrols the deep middle of the field with confidence. On two occasions this spring in team periods, Mencke showed his sideline-to-sideline range in the deep part of the field. The first was inside Dempsey Indoor on the second Saturday of the month. The quarterback led his receiver over the middle of the field on the throw. But Mencke read his eyes, ranged from the far side of the field, and leapt in front of the pass to pull down an interception.
A week later, during Washington’s first spring scrimmage, Mencke unofficially tallied an interception, a pass breakup, and 1.5 tackles for loss. The pass breakup was his most impressive play, as his range was on display once again. This time, it was a deep sideline pass, and Mencke roamed from center field to cut off the pass and break it up towards the sideline.
“Paul’s done a great job of competing and being physical and playing fast,” Jedd Fisch said after his impactful spring scrimmage performance. “You could see he’s, over these three years, [he] has really grown into understanding now the system and what’s asked of him as a safety.”
Projecting Mencke’s Skillset
“I think there’s a lot in him that he wants to be like Coach Mays,” Fisch said of the third-year safety. “He sees himself as a tall, linear, big hitter. So when you have your coach that is known for that type of play, I think Paul has done a great job.”
It was easy to see the confidence Mencke plays with on both of the aforementioned plays, and throughout the spring as a whole. The Husky safety is a third-year sophomore and is in the second year of Ryan Walters’ defense. With a full year of that scheme under his belt, he, like Johnson, is playing faster, more instinctual football.
“Going into his third year, he’s played, he just hasn’t played [a lot] on defense,” safeties coach Taylor Mays said of Mencke this spring. “He’s played a lot of football. So he’s a guy that really should take a big step this season.”
With McLaughlin and Dillard-Allen, the safety room has a pair of projected starters. But Mencke has been well within the rotation this spring. In fact, he’s often been utilized in Walters’ three-safety look in the secondary. It’s an added wrinkle in the back half of the defense that was seen on a few occasions last year. This spring, with players like Mencke who are now well-acclimated to his system, it’s been seen more frequently.
“I also think Paul’s done a great job of learning from [McLaughlin] and [Dillard-Allen],” Fisch said. “Being able to find him, find his role, and hopefully be a great competitor for us, especially special teams and on defense.”
Main Image: Nick Lemkau
