Huskies notes: Spring practices begin this week with QBs set to compete; injury updates
About five months remain before the Washington Huskies will need a definitive answer to the question.
Who will be the starting quarterback when they open the season against Kent State on Sept. 3 in Seattle?
UW coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, both in their first season with the program after arriving from Fresno State this winter, offered thoughts about that particular competition and more Monday afternoon ahead of spring practices, which begin Wednesday.
This much is known about the quarterback situation — UW has three passers in incoming transfer Michael Penix Jr. and returners from last season’s group in Dylan Morris and Sam Huard, who are set to compete for the job.
Grubb noted each of the three scholarship quarterbacks will have an equal chance to win it.
“You’ve got to try to create the most equal environment you can and see who really rises to the top,” Grubb said. “And that doesn’t mean just reps — that means opportunities in scheme, opportunities in field position. So there’s a lot of thought that goes into it.”
Each of the three quarterbacks has started at least one game at the Power Five level.
Penix, who announced his transfer to UW in December, arrives in Seattle after spending the past four seasons in the Big Ten at Indiana.
The fifth-year junior played in 20 games for the Hoosiers, starting 17, and completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 4,197 yards and 29 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. He also rushed for six touchdowns during that span.
Last fall, he started five games at Indiana, throwing for 939 yards and four touchdowns before a shoulder injury ended his season in October.
At UW, he reunites with DeBoer, who he played for at Indiana in 2019, when DeBoer was the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Penix started six games that fall, completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns prior to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Morris, a redshirt sophomore, is entering his fourth season with the program. The former Graham-Kapowsin High School standout has started 15 games for UW the past two seasons — including 11 last fall — completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 3,355 yards and 18 touchdowns to 15 interceptions.
Huard, who broke the state’s high school career passing record at Kennedy Catholic, played in four games as a true freshman last fall, preserving his redshirt season, and made his first career start in UW’s season finale in the Apple Cup. He has completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in his one season.
Penix has the most starting experience and the most familiarity with DeBoer’s offense after playing in his system during the 2019 season, but Grubb noted Morris and Huard have also picked it up quickly.
“Even just terminology, verbiage, the easy things like that, Mike had a pretty good handle on right out of the gate,” he said. “But, my hat’s off to D-Mo and Sam. They have quickly made up that ground over the winter and are very familiar already.
“There’s a lot of miles in between reading it in a book and being able to do it out on the field, but I’ve been impressed with how hard those guys have worked so far.”
Grubb said the three passers will see “identical reps between the ones and twos” on offense through the first four spring practices as the Huskies begin to evaluate the position. A starting decision won’t necessarily be made this spring, and the competition could carry into the summer and fall camp.
“I know this — we’re just going to pour everything into trying to coach these guys up,” DeBoer said. “That’s just how we’ve always done it and it will shake itself out.”
EXTRA POINTS
▪ The Huskies will be without a key defensive contributor in inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio this spring, who is also expected to miss some time in the fall.
“He will miss some games,” DeBoer said. “We hope to have him for a part of the season. I know he’s determined to push through. … He’s a determined guy, and motivated, always upbeat and he’s attacking it.”
▪ UW’s top two returning running backs — junior Richard Newton and sophomore Cameron Davis — will miss spring camp but are expected to return this fall.
“They’re recovering,” Grubb said. “They’re doing a great job. They’ll be back full speed for camp and everything, but they won’t practice this spring ball.”
Redshirt freshman running back Emeka Megwa is likely to miss practices this spring, DeBoer said, while two more offensive players in redshirt freshman running back Sam Adams II and redshirt freshman receiver Jabez Tinae will be limited.
▪ Jaxson Kirkland, a two-time All-Pac-12 left tackle for the Huskies, has returned to UW, but whether he will return to the field for a sixth season after withdrawing from the 2022 NFL Draft due to ankle surgery is to be determined.
“He’s enrolled in school, and we have filed a waiver and we have not heard back on that yet,” DeBoer said. “That’s the status and that’s really all there is to update right now.”
Kirkland was a first-team all-conference pick each of the past two seasons and has started 39 games for the Huskies during his career — including 25 at right guard in his first two seasons and 14 at left tackle the past two.
He started at left tackle each of the 10 games he appeared in last fall.
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 8:19 PM.
