Defensive Line[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]Projected Starters: Whatever success the Husky defense has in 2007 will start up front with an aggressive, veteran line that returns six lettermen and four starters. The ends, senior Greyson Gunheim and sophomore Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, are high-motor types that combined for 24 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2006. Gunheim was benched briefly last fall, but still wound up leading the team with 14 tackles for loss and six sacks. At 6-5 and 265 pounds with uncommon speed for a lineman, he’s a pass-rushing terror coming off the edge.
Te’o-Nesheim was one of last season’s pleasant surprises, consistently beating opposing tackles and making plays for minus yards. Neither the quickest nor the biggest Washington lineman at 6-4 and 245 pounds, he’ll simply out work his guy in order to make stops.
After starting 11 games and making 23 tackles in 2006, senior Wilson Afoa is back to anchor the interior of the Husky line. Showing good quickness for a 6-3, 290-pounder, he has to be even more productive as a run stuffer in the season ahead.
Afoa will be joined by fellow senior Jordan Reffett, who started the first five games of his career last season, chipping in 23 tackles and four for loss. At 6-6 and 295 pounds, he’s the team’s biggest lineman, and must play like it if the Huskies are going to improve against the run in 2007.
Projected Top Reserves: After redshirting last season to get bigger and stronger, sophomore Darrion Jones is on his way to becoming the first end off the bench this fall. At 6-3 and 245 pounds, he has the speed and explosion to be a very effective situational rusher.
The other second team end will be senior Caesar Rayford, a two-time letterman that’s seen most of his action on special teams. A terrific all-around athlete, one of his biggest challenges has been adding weight to a lanky, 6-7 frame.
The future at tackle in Seattle will undoubtedly involve redshirt freshman Cameron Elisara, one of the stars of last year’s recruiting class. The 2006 Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year is only 6-2 and 280 pounds, but he’s quick enough to get into the backfield and goes until the whistle on every down. Once Afoa and Reffett graduate, Elisara is destined to become a crowd favorite at Husky Stadium.
Watch Out For… Gunheim and Te’o-Nesheim to quietly be one of the most disruptive set of bookends in the Pac-10. Te’o-Nesheim plays like an animal with no off switch, and Gunheim begins 2007 with a chip on his shoulder after feeling as if underachieved last season
Strength: Experience. With so many veterans returning to the line, the defense will be able to use a deep rotation that keeps everyone fresh beyond halftime, when the Huskies struggled last season.
Weakness: Getting to the quarterback. Other than Gunheim, who had six, no Washington lineman had more than three sacks in 2006, a trend that must change if the leaky pass defense is going to have a prayer.
Outlook: The ends are fringe all-Pac-10 performers and the tackles are reliable big-bodies, giving Washington the building blocks of a very respectable first line of defense.
Rating: 7.5
Linebackers
Projected Starters: Two starters from last year may have departed, but Washington will retool on the fly at linebacker thanks to some terrific recruiting in recent years. The veteran of the group is senior Dan Howell, who started ten games at strongside, and had 35 tackles, six for loss and a team-high three forced fumbles. Named Most Improved Defensive Player in 2006, he’s outstanding in pass defense and ready to assume more of a leadership role on the defense.
After learning the ropes in 2006 and lettering as a freshman, E.J. Savannah stepped up this spring and won himself the job at weakside linebacker. A highly instinctive defender with great sideline-to-sideline quickness, he’s got a very bright future with the Huskies.
In the middle will be Donald Butler, one of just two freshmen to receive playing time in 2006. Mature beyond his years, he was thrust into action last fall, and responded with 24 tackles and improved play as the season wound down.
