Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

Like Jimmy Lake taking over for Chris Petersen, Kyle Whittingham went through a similar transition when he took over for Hall of Famer Urban Meyer at Utah. Whittingham's words of advice to the new Washington head coach?

"Don't change just for the sake of change."

But the fact is, a lot of things have already changed ahead of the 2021 football season, including the idea that the season may not happen at all. And Whittingham, Lake, and new Colorado Football Coach Karl Dorrell all took part in the Pac-12's second coaching 'webinar' this week to talk about those changes and what the coaches would need to get their programs headed back toward some semblance of normalcy.

Much like trying to figure out how to get to third and reasonable when you're staring second down and 20 right in the face, what's it going to take to get teams back on schedule? The coaches talked about the possibility of getting some things back up and running by as early as June 1, but the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is so fluid and unpredictable, those dates are set in quicksand at the moment.

The three coaches also talked about the amount of time it would take to get the programs up and running again, including the minimum amount and what is commonly accepted by the Pac-12 coaches as the amount they'd like to have to get things up to speed as reasonably as possible.

The theme of Tuesday's webinar was 'Approach to replacing key components from last year’s squad, especially at QB', but they didn't touch much on that - although coach Lake did talk about the obstacles first-year offensive coordinator John Donovan has had to deal with while not having seen any of his quarterbacks take a live snap to date.

But mostly the conversation centered around what it would take to get the teams ready to play the season, including what that season might look like, and if possible, would all the teams be able to start up the preseason at the same time? Lake suggested there should be a blanket time set by the NCAA so everyone has to abide by a level playing field.

The Pac-12 hosted the first of four football coach 'webinars' Monday with Stanford Head Coach David Shaw, USC Head Coach Clay Helton, and new Washington State Head Coach Nick Rolovich taking part in a 30-minute discussion led by Pac-12 Networks' host Yogi Roth. The first half was Yogi asking the coaches questions, and the second was the 100-plus media members in attendance asking questions to the coaches.

The section led by Roth centered around the spring Pac-12 meetings and what came out of them in terms of planning moving forward. How has the Pac-12 responded to the coronavirus pandemic and how will the conference respond moving forward. The three coaches talked about not only their interactions with the conference administration but also the work done within the coaches' working group to try and come up with contingencies and scenarios that come into play once they've been given the green light to go ahead with preparations for the season.

The media then had a chance to talk to the coaches about the difficulty of recruiting without getting a chance to see prospective student-athletes and families face-to-face, as well as scheduling ideas - including one that has a full 11-game schedule of each Pac-12 team playing the rest of the conference. How would these ideas work within the framework of a larger playoff discussion, for instance? And how would it be possibly playing in empty stadiums, or not being able to play until there are students back at school?

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - gathered around their respective microphones (social distancing employed) to catch up on the latest Washington Football, Basketball, and recruiting news. And, despite not having spring football, there's still news being made.

They first talk about Michigan forward Cole Bajema entering the transfer portal and what that might mean for Washington. Bajema prepped at Lynden Christian near Bellingham and his sister Kara just finished her volleyball career at UW. Does this mean there's a chance the younger Bajema might be the next Husky in line?

Then news goes to recruiting, with the late Thursday news that O'Dea offensive lineman Owen Prentice earned a scholarship offer from LSU. What does that mean for Prentice, who already narrowed his final six schools down to Stanford, California, Arizona State, Washington, USC, and UCLA a couple of weeks ago? And what does an LSU offer to a Seattle kid mean in the larger picture? Does it simply confirm the trend of bigger programs outside the region coming out west to try their luck?

Scott Eklund put together an interesting take of current freshman offensive lineman Gaard Memmelaar, one from the opposition. With UW OL Coach Scott Huff recently nabbing another small school lineman in Robert Wyrsch, can we start to identify a trend in the kind of players Huff likes to recruit?

Going back to recruiting, Eklund has also put in a UW crystal ball for a local recruit, and one that current 2021 quarterback commit Sam Huard will know quite well, receiver Jabez Tinae. Eklund talks about the timing of the crystal ball, and also the prospects of Washington taking both Tinae and his teammate, Junior Alexander. Who are the Huskies targeting at wide receiver for the 2021 class?

And finally, the Pac-12 revealed Thursday their scheduled 'webinars' with the football head coaches and the media. These will start this coming Monday, and Washington Head Coach Jimmy Lake will take part in the Tuesday one with new Colorado Head Coach Karl Dorrell and Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham.

If there was a guy in the recruiting business that knows the stories behind the stories, it's Brandon Huffman. Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds got the 247Sports National Recruiting Editor to open up a little bit about how he got in the recruiting game, as well as a special pact he has with fellow National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins.

The two also talk about the recent NFL draft, including the players Huffman got to know through the whole process from the beginning of high school all the way to the draft. Players like Jordan Love, Michael Pittman, Jacob Eason, Ezra Cleveland, Budda Baker, and Colby Parkinson. In fact, Huffman opines on who he thinks could end up being good coaches once their playing days are done.

They move on to Washington's Defensive Backs Coach, Will Harris - a guy Huffman covered when Harris was just a prospect at Charter Oak High School in Covina.

Finally, Grinolds asks for Huffman's take on some current prospects. You might know the names: J.T. Tuimoloau and Sam Huard. And with offensive lineman Robert Wyrsch verbally committing to the Huskies on Thursday, Huffman offers his thoughts on the Soquel, Calif. native.

To finish things off, Grinolds and Huffman go rapid fire on some of Brandon's favorite food spots when he's on the road.

If you tried to predict how things would go for the Washington Huskies in the 2020 NFL Draft, that prediction would have gone straight into the garbage can. In many ways, things couldn't have gone much worse for UW, as only two players were drafted for the first time in four years, and no defensive players were drafted for the first time since 2014.

But why? With every story, there's usually at least two sides to it, and in this case, there are some silver linings that have come via the undrafted free agent market.

To recap, Jacob Eason was taken in the fourth round by Indianapolis, and Cleveland snatched up Nick Harris in the fifth round. That's it. That's the entire draft. So if you are a Washington fan and you watched all 12 hours of NFL draft coverage, you got roughly five minutes that involved UW - and four of those minutes were about Eason.

Did he drop? And if so, why? Is he in a good situation in Indianapolis? Can he flourish?

These are all questions the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - attempt to answer.

They also talk about the Browns moving Harris from the Dawg Pack to the Dawg Pound, and whether or not they were right to do so.

Then it's on to the thornier issues. Like what the hell happened to the draft stock of Hunter Bryant and Trey Adams? Why did they go from being draft locks to getting locked out of the draft entirely? They wade into those questions.

Lastly, they look at the other Washington players who - at the time of this recording - have signed free agent deals. There's nine so far. Could there be more?

Trey Adams - BUF

Salvon Ahmed - SF

Andre Baccellia - KC 

Hunter Bryant - DET 

Myles Bryant - NE

Aaron Fuller - SEA 

Jared Hilbers - NYJ

Benning Potoa'e - TB

Brandon Wellington - IND

On Wednesday, the Washington Football Ohana ('family') received some fantastic news from Hawai'i, as Kamehameha OL/DL Kuao Peihopa verbally committed to Washington over scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Fresno State, Hawai'i, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State, and Wisconsin. Peihopa is being recruited by Washington as a defensive lineman.

Does Peihopa compare at all to any of the recent defensive linemen that have made their way from Oahu to the 206? Physically, he compares favorably to Faatui Tuitele, but does he play like Tuitele? Or is his play reminiscent of other current Washington defensive linemen?

Twenty-four hours later, the Huskies received even more good news as Eatonville athlete Caden Jumper quickly 'jumped' on a Washington scholarship offer tendered just two days before. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Jumper committed to the Huskies as a jumbo offensive athlete over scholarship offers from Army and UC-Davis.

But how will he be used? Some think he might be given some reps as a tight end, some think he'll be more of a fullback or H-back, depending on how new UW Offensive Coordinator John Donovan wants to use him. But are there any comparisons to current or former players that make sense?

Two very different players, two different reactions to their commitments - as you might expect. But how do the Dawgman guys see these 2021 recruiting class additions? Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund break down each commitment and where they see each player fitting into what the Huskies want to do on offense and defense.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - gave their thoughts on Jacob Eason's current draft status a couple of days ago, but decided there needed to be a more complete draft preview - so here it is.

They talk about Eason's strengths and weaknesses and how he's being perceived by the NFL brass ahead of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, held Thursday in Las Vegas. The draft will go three days, with Thursday covering round one, Friday rounds two and three, and Saturday covering rounds 4-7. Thursday's action will start at 5 pm PT, with Friday's coverage starting one hour before at 4 pm PT. Saturday is an early one, with coverage starting at 9 am PT. ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network will be covering all three days.

The draft will also be done remotely, and Eason is one of the 50-plus eligible players that will be hanging out in the NFL virtual 'green room' before and during the draft. The guys talk about which team's current quarterback situation might be conducive toward going for a guy like Eason as someone who could learn behind a veteran, for instance. Or is there a team out there looking at Eason's skill set and willing to gamble that he's the right man at the right time for them? We will definitely find out on Thursday, but no later than Friday. 

The Dawgman guys also opine on Hunter Bryant, Trey Adams and Nick Harris, the other UW players that are considered locks to get drafted. All three could go early on Friday, or have to wait until Saturday, and the guys talk about each player and why they could go early or whether or not they might have to sweat it out a bit. Is there a team that has fallen in love with Bryant's playmaking ability? Is there a team that believes Adams can get back to the place he was before suffering a season-ending knee injury during the 2017 season? And is there a team that was so impressed with Harris's scouting combine workout in Indianapolis back in February that they have prioritized him as a must-get in a year where quality centers are not easy to come by? 

They also talk some about the UW players that are expecting to either go in the later rounds of the draft or get signed as priority free agents, players like Salvon Ahmed, Myles Bryant, Aaron Fuller, Benning Potoa'e, Jared Hilbers, and Chico McClatcher. Is it realistic that Washington gets as many as seven or eight players drafted by the time the dust settles in Vegas? Or will it just be the four that have been highlighted, while the others leverage their free agent status toward a deal that suits them the best? 

Sam Huard wanted to set the record straight: he's not just a steak-eater nowadays. In a wide-ranging interview with Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds, the Kennedy Catholic quarterback makes it known that he's open to whatever is put on the dinner table.

But that's just the peas and carrots. When it comes to the meat of the interview, Grinolds asked Huard about his take on the ratings and rankings that come out and whether or not the UW-bound Huard ever really pays attention to the adulation.

He also talked about playing at a high level from an early age and growing up the son of a former NFL quarterback, Damon Huard, as well as the influence of another left-hander in the family, his uncle Brock. Oh, and Brock also played quarterback at Washington and the NFL.

Huard was asked about the relationship he's built with Dan Marino, who is a co-owner of Passing Time Winery with Sam's Dad, as well as the relationships he's built with some of the top football and basketball prospects growing up through the Seattle AAU basketball community.

They talked about the recruiting process, starting with the first offer he ever got, from Nevada, as well as his early decision to verbally commit to Washington shortly after getting offered.

Huard also talked about his daily routine right now in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, including his off-field preparations, as well as his relationship with Tracy Ford and Ford Sports Performance.

The two also talked about the moment when Chris Petersen stepped down as Washington's head coach, and how that could have impacted his decision to play for UW. Huard also talks about the conversations he's had with new UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake, and first-year offensive coordinator John Donovan.

Finally, Huard talked about the steps he still needs to take at Kennedy Catholic before jumping to the next level with the Huskies, as well as his role as the unofficial ringleader of Washington's 2021 recruiting efforts. He even throws out a name to watch, and also talks about the 'greatest player he's ever seen in his life'.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got together at the end of the week to put together a podcast recapping all the UW-related news of the week.

They started with the news that Elijah Hardy is set to transfer to Portland State from Washington, and the Wednesday news that both Erik Stevenson and Nate Pryor have joined the Huskies starting the 2020-21 season.

They also talked about some of the NCAA decisions due to the coronavirus pandemic, and senior student-athletes affected this spring getting one more year of eligibility.

Moving on to UW Football, the guys talked about the conversations they had with offensive line coach Scott Huff and new offensive coordinator John Donovan. There was a lot of talk on the offensive linemen and where they might line up as soon as spring football can start up. Eklund talked a lot about the different positions some of the offensive linemen could be playing this year, starting with Jaxson Kirkland at left tackle, Victor Curne at right tackle, and Luke Wattenberg at center.

The conversation on Donovan was mostly about his philosophy, taking the UW job, his impression of the Washington program growing up in New Jersey, and also how he brought his game plan to UW and the adjustments that were made when the other offensive coaches took a look and gave their feedback.

They also talked about Donovan coming to Montlake and now having to deal with a brand-new situation within the context of the pandemic and trying to teach his players via Zoom meetings instead of out on the east field.

Lastly they touched on Jacob Eason and whether or not he could be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, which starts this coming Thursday in Las Vegas.

The guys will be doing a longer NFL Draft-centric podcast in a few days.

You've all seen them out there on social media, they're like Bingo cards. In fact, one came out in the last couple of weeks when it came to Washington Men's Basketball. You get $15 as your 'salary cap' and you have to pick your best team, picking one player from each position. Players are rated by dollar amount. Sounds easy, right?

Well, we've taken the concept and put it to the test with Washington Football. But we're going to up the stakes a little bit. Pretend you are John Schneider, the Seattle Seahawks General Manager, and you've got a salary cap of $35M you can spend to build your all-time defense and special teams units. And the team you're building is all Washington Huskies.

Players are rated by dollar amounts, from $1m to $5m. And you have to pick a player from each position listed.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - all saw the lists beforehand and came up with their all-time teams. We want to see who you decide to pick

As you'll find out, some went hard on the top defensive front players, others went big on the best secondary they could afford.

Either way, now YOU get to play GM and spend your hard-earned cash. All that's left is who you decide to pick.