Washington was not in full pads during Thursday’s practice, which meant fewer full-speed drills. However, during the limited 11-on-11 sessions, several true freshmen found the stats column in different ways on both sides of the football. After practice, defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi spoke to the progress of the interior guys up front. That included comments on true freshman Derek Colman-Brusa and his many first-team reps.
Day Five Practice Notes at Washington
Freshmen Wide Receivers
On offense, receiver Jordan Clay pulled down two contested catches on the day, though one was ruled out of bounds. That one was during red zone work towards the end of practice. It was a corner end zone fade against Dylan Robinson at cornerback. Clay, who’s been primarily running with the first team offense while some other receivers have been limited this Spring, got a step on the sophomore, created separation, and elevated for the catch above the cornerback. The pass from Demond Williams led him just out of bounds, and it was ruled incomplete. But the freshman receiver showed quality hand strength and the ability to high-point the football over the length of Robinson at corner. Clay also brought in a low pass for a catch as he fell to the turf with a defender in tight coverage earlier that day.
In terms of contested catches, Trez Davis continues to impress. He pulled in a 20-yard reception over the middle of the field with a defender draped all over him during a team period of practice. The contested catch got a roar out of the offensive side of the ball as the offense moved upfield. Later, Deji Ajose hauled in a tough pass during Thursday’s practice, also over the middle field during seven-on-sevens. The catch was in traffic while tightly contested by the defender.
Defensive Play Makers
Defensively, freshmen cornerbacks Jeron Jones and Elijah Durr each made a play on Thursday inside Husky Stadium. Jones, a former four-star recruit, got in front of a flat-out route to break up a pass. He showed great closing speed on the football to make the play. Durr, the Tacoma, Washington native, got in the backfield during an 11-on-11 session, forcing a quarterback hurry and throw-away.
And at linebacker, true freshman Ezaya Tokio had a tackle for loss, quickly moving through the formation to make the play in the backfield. Finally, though he’s not a freshman, Elias Johnson needs to be mentioned again. The redshirt sophomore and 6’-2” cornerback had another pass breakup on Thursday. That’s now three pass breakups for him in the last two practices. It’s clear that Johnson has leveled up his game throughout the first two weeks of spring as he’s tallying stats on defense.
Freshman Derek Colman-Brusa
Among the true freshmen continuing to make their presence known, former four-star and local product Derek Colman-Brusa is high on that list. “Big, fast, strong,” Kaufusi said after practice, describing Colman-Brusa. “He’s unbelievable. He’s doing some really good things, he’s running around, giving good effort, and playing with good fundamentals.”
On Thursday, Colman-Brusa lined up with a version of the first team defensive line that included Isaiah Ward, Darin Conley, and Jacob Lane during a two-minute offense session. Later, he was on the field first for an 11-on-11 scrimmage portion of practice. That group featured the true freshman alongside Elinneus Davis, Ward, and Lane.
“[Colman-Brusa] is very explosive, very pop,” Davis said of his teammate after practice on Thursday. “I mean, he’s a freshman, but he’s way ahead of what a typical freshman would be,” Davis continued. “I would say just me being a good mentor to him, and him just being able to ask questions to me, I feel like that really helps him slow the game down for him and be able to play more free and play like how y’all see him.”
Veteran Elinneus Davis
Davis is the veteran of the group and the lone returner from last year’s group on the interior. He started 10 games a season ago with over 400 snaps along the defensive line. But other than him, it’s going to be almost entirely new players along the interior.
“It’s not the most common thing,” Davis said when asked about the lack of returning production on the interior defensive line going into this season. “We just got to adjust, and we brought in key pieces. That was kind of the point that I was trying to do for my offseason, to show them the way and bring them up to speed and try to simplify the game as much as I can for them.” Davis is stepping into a leadership role this season as the veteran along the interior. He’s been vocal on the field and is beginning to shape the character of the room already this spring.
And despite all the attrition along the interior, there was never any consideration for Davis to enter the transfer portal himself after last season. “Coach Fisch, Coach Kaufusi, and Coach Walt, I mean, there’s no reason for me to leave,” he said after practice. “I’m very blessed to have them as my coaches and definitely mentors too.” Davis notched a no-contact sack during Thursday’s practice and also had a sack and tackle for loss on Tuesday.
Main Image: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
