DoogCourics
New Fish
Freshman Fall Camp Review
Defense[/b]
OLB Laiatu Latu - Might be the most physically impressive freshman of the group who signed. Latu is big and physical and he moves very well for a young man of his dimensions. He's been running as the BUCK with the third unit opposite Zion Tupuola-Fetui, giving the Huskies a jumbo pairing of outside linebackers. Latu holds the edge well and when asked to rush the quarterback, he uses his hands and quickness to get by the offensive lineman.
DB Cameron Williams - While Latu is probably the most physically impressive prospect from the class, and trust us, there's a bunch of them that impressive on the hoof, but Williams has been the one that stood out the most due to his play on the field. He's just a special player, able to diagnose plays and he's seemingly around the ball on almost every play. Williams has been running with the first unit for the entirety of camp so far and we think there's a better than even chance he's in the starting lineup when the Husky defense takes the field on August 31st against Eastern Washington.
DL Faatui Tuitele - Sure, he's still struggling with a torn pectoral, but you wouldn't know it by watching him play. Tuitele has been running with the third unit for most of camp, but he's squarely in the rotation and he'll likely be one of the freshmen that plays quite a bit. He's quick and strong and he pursues really well when the play goes away from him.
DL Sama Paama - Paama is a run-stuffer who moves well laterally and could eventually be a real force on the inside for the Huskies. Paama missed most of the spring due to a lower-leg injury he suffered at the end of his senior season. Now that he's back to full health, he's been working hard to find his way into the defensive line rotation. Right now, he's seeing spot duty with the third unit, but so far, he still seems to be finding his "sea legs".
DL Jacob Bandes - It's too bad that Bandes missed most of spring after undergoing and appendectomy because he would be much further along in his development. He still seems to be working his way into shape, but his get off is great and he does a great job of holding strong at the point-of-attack.
LB Miki Ah You - It's been good to see Ah You running around and making plays after he suffered a torn ACL a little over 11 months ago. He arrived at Washington in the spring and got a lot of mental reps and now he's shown the instincts to be around the ball on a play-to-play basis.
DB Trent McDuffie - On pretty much any other team in the country, save maybe one or two, McDuffie would probably be in line to start or, at the very least, to see plenty of playing time in the secondary rotation, but as it is, he may not have a place on the field due to Washington's depth at corner. That being said, when McDuffie has been on the field as the 2nd team CB, he is very aggressive and seems to have great ball skills and instincts when the ball is in the air.
LB Daniel Heimuli - Heimuli has looked great running with the third group (alongside Alphonzo Tuputala), showing a nose for the ball and the ability to sniff out routes when he's been asked to drop back in coverage. The key for him will be how quickly he picks up the defense. If he can speed up the learning curve, he may be too good to keep off the field.
LB Josh Calvert - He was one of the top freshmen in the spring, showing incredible instincts and a nose for the ball. He's been running with the third unit and playing all three of the true linebacker spots -- SAM, WIL and MIK.
DB Asa Turner - Long and very athletic, Turner has the ability to high-point passes and the range to make plays from sideline-to-sideline. He needs to put on some bulk before he sees the field, but he sure looks the part of a future free safety.
DB Kamren Fabiculanan - Great looking athlete with the ability to play slot corner or safety. He's another prospect who shows great instincts and he ran really run.
OLB Bralen Trice - We haven't seen much of Trice on the field, but when he has been out there he doesn't look out of place. Like Turner, he needs to put on some more bulk and strength before he can get the job done, but he looks like he could be a real gem in a year or two.
DL Noa Ngalu - He seems to be lagging behind the other defensive linemen, but you can see the athleticism in the way he moves. He has a great first step and the ability to collapse the pocket when he's getting after the quarterback.
LB Alphonzo Tuputala - He was one of the surprises of the first day of camp as he'd lost nearly 20 pounds since he arrived this summer. Tuputala has great instincts and uses a very quick first step to cause issues for blockers.
Offense[/b]
QB Dylan Morris - Morris has looked poise and he seems to be picking up the offense rather quickly. His motion is compact and he really snaps the ball off. Sure, he's made a few "rookie" mistakes, but he looks like he could push for playing time very early in his career.
WR Puka Nacua - He's got a big frame and he knows how to use it. He shields defenders and he's got strong hands. He's had a few drops, but overall he's been one of the most impressive offensive freshmen on the field.
WR Taj Davis - Davis looks very impressive. He's a legit 6'2" and probably tops out at 6'3", with broad shoulders and a great frame. He needs to add more strength and get the technical aspects of the position down, but he looks like he could be a stud in a year or two.
RB Cam Davis - He's looked really solid and seems to be picking up the offense pretty quickly. Davis is instinctive and he has great explosiveness, but he's got a battle on his hands with so many promising running backs ahead of him on the depth chart.
OL Nate Kalepo - Kalepo is huge, but he's trimmed down a bit since we saw him in the summer. He's smart and has been running with the third-team offensive line at left tackle. Speed rushers still get him, but he seems to be settling in pretty quickly to his spot.
OL Julius Buelow - You just don't see a lot of guys with his size do much in college, but with the right grooming by Scott Huff, Buelow looks like a future fixture at right tackle where he's been running with the third team.
OL Troy Fautanu - He's been out while rehabbing from an injury, so we haven't seen anything since the spring. However, he looks the part and should be a key contributor either later in the season or as a redshirt freshman in 2020.
TE Corey Luciano - Started out as an offensive linemen, but he has moved to tight end although he's basically like an extra offensive lineman that they use to seal the edge on running plays. Luciano has done some route-running and after getting a look at him, at least at this juncture, his forte appears to be as a blocker more than as a receiver.
PK Tim Horn - He's definitely got a big leg, but he's still feeling his way. There are lots of reasons why this might be the case (different balls, different holders, etc.), but you can see the talent and why the Huskies pursued him. He appears to be behind Peyton Henry at this point in camp, but things can definitely change over the next month and into the season.
Defense[/b]
OLB Laiatu Latu - Might be the most physically impressive freshman of the group who signed. Latu is big and physical and he moves very well for a young man of his dimensions. He's been running as the BUCK with the third unit opposite Zion Tupuola-Fetui, giving the Huskies a jumbo pairing of outside linebackers. Latu holds the edge well and when asked to rush the quarterback, he uses his hands and quickness to get by the offensive lineman.
DB Cameron Williams - While Latu is probably the most physically impressive prospect from the class, and trust us, there's a bunch of them that impressive on the hoof, but Williams has been the one that stood out the most due to his play on the field. He's just a special player, able to diagnose plays and he's seemingly around the ball on almost every play. Williams has been running with the first unit for the entirety of camp so far and we think there's a better than even chance he's in the starting lineup when the Husky defense takes the field on August 31st against Eastern Washington.
DL Faatui Tuitele - Sure, he's still struggling with a torn pectoral, but you wouldn't know it by watching him play. Tuitele has been running with the third unit for most of camp, but he's squarely in the rotation and he'll likely be one of the freshmen that plays quite a bit. He's quick and strong and he pursues really well when the play goes away from him.
DL Sama Paama - Paama is a run-stuffer who moves well laterally and could eventually be a real force on the inside for the Huskies. Paama missed most of the spring due to a lower-leg injury he suffered at the end of his senior season. Now that he's back to full health, he's been working hard to find his way into the defensive line rotation. Right now, he's seeing spot duty with the third unit, but so far, he still seems to be finding his "sea legs".
DL Jacob Bandes - It's too bad that Bandes missed most of spring after undergoing and appendectomy because he would be much further along in his development. He still seems to be working his way into shape, but his get off is great and he does a great job of holding strong at the point-of-attack.
LB Miki Ah You - It's been good to see Ah You running around and making plays after he suffered a torn ACL a little over 11 months ago. He arrived at Washington in the spring and got a lot of mental reps and now he's shown the instincts to be around the ball on a play-to-play basis.
DB Trent McDuffie - On pretty much any other team in the country, save maybe one or two, McDuffie would probably be in line to start or, at the very least, to see plenty of playing time in the secondary rotation, but as it is, he may not have a place on the field due to Washington's depth at corner. That being said, when McDuffie has been on the field as the 2nd team CB, he is very aggressive and seems to have great ball skills and instincts when the ball is in the air.
LB Daniel Heimuli - Heimuli has looked great running with the third group (alongside Alphonzo Tuputala), showing a nose for the ball and the ability to sniff out routes when he's been asked to drop back in coverage. The key for him will be how quickly he picks up the defense. If he can speed up the learning curve, he may be too good to keep off the field.
LB Josh Calvert - He was one of the top freshmen in the spring, showing incredible instincts and a nose for the ball. He's been running with the third unit and playing all three of the true linebacker spots -- SAM, WIL and MIK.
DB Asa Turner - Long and very athletic, Turner has the ability to high-point passes and the range to make plays from sideline-to-sideline. He needs to put on some bulk before he sees the field, but he sure looks the part of a future free safety.
DB Kamren Fabiculanan - Great looking athlete with the ability to play slot corner or safety. He's another prospect who shows great instincts and he ran really run.
OLB Bralen Trice - We haven't seen much of Trice on the field, but when he has been out there he doesn't look out of place. Like Turner, he needs to put on some more bulk and strength before he can get the job done, but he looks like he could be a real gem in a year or two.
DL Noa Ngalu - He seems to be lagging behind the other defensive linemen, but you can see the athleticism in the way he moves. He has a great first step and the ability to collapse the pocket when he's getting after the quarterback.
LB Alphonzo Tuputala - He was one of the surprises of the first day of camp as he'd lost nearly 20 pounds since he arrived this summer. Tuputala has great instincts and uses a very quick first step to cause issues for blockers.
Offense[/b]
QB Dylan Morris - Morris has looked poise and he seems to be picking up the offense rather quickly. His motion is compact and he really snaps the ball off. Sure, he's made a few "rookie" mistakes, but he looks like he could push for playing time very early in his career.
WR Puka Nacua - He's got a big frame and he knows how to use it. He shields defenders and he's got strong hands. He's had a few drops, but overall he's been one of the most impressive offensive freshmen on the field.
WR Taj Davis - Davis looks very impressive. He's a legit 6'2" and probably tops out at 6'3", with broad shoulders and a great frame. He needs to add more strength and get the technical aspects of the position down, but he looks like he could be a stud in a year or two.
RB Cam Davis - He's looked really solid and seems to be picking up the offense pretty quickly. Davis is instinctive and he has great explosiveness, but he's got a battle on his hands with so many promising running backs ahead of him on the depth chart.
OL Nate Kalepo - Kalepo is huge, but he's trimmed down a bit since we saw him in the summer. He's smart and has been running with the third-team offensive line at left tackle. Speed rushers still get him, but he seems to be settling in pretty quickly to his spot.
OL Julius Buelow - You just don't see a lot of guys with his size do much in college, but with the right grooming by Scott Huff, Buelow looks like a future fixture at right tackle where he's been running with the third team.
OL Troy Fautanu - He's been out while rehabbing from an injury, so we haven't seen anything since the spring. However, he looks the part and should be a key contributor either later in the season or as a redshirt freshman in 2020.
TE Corey Luciano - Started out as an offensive linemen, but he has moved to tight end although he's basically like an extra offensive lineman that they use to seal the edge on running plays. Luciano has done some route-running and after getting a look at him, at least at this juncture, his forte appears to be as a blocker more than as a receiver.
PK Tim Horn - He's definitely got a big leg, but he's still feeling his way. There are lots of reasons why this might be the case (different balls, different holders, etc.), but you can see the talent and why the Huskies pursued him. He appears to be behind Peyton Henry at this point in camp, but things can definitely change over the next month and into the season.
