Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

Washington Receivers Coach JaMarcus Shephard spoke to the media this week, and the message was very clear; this UW team hasn't won anything yet. In Shephard's mind, that should make this team 'hungrier than ever'. In this 10-minute interview, he spoke about that hunger, how this team is trying to emulate what the 1991 Huskies did coming off a strong 1990 season, the work of individual players, going to the Big Ten next season, and more. 

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - try to dry themselves off after a day Day 6 of fall camp, held Wednesday at Husky Stadium.

It was a day where the emphasis was placed on short yardage, third and fourth down, as well as red zone opportunities. And for the most part the offense did what you'd expect a high-powered offense to do; score often.

But the defense also had their moments, and certainly had plenty of the game go their way when the team periods were set more between the 20s.

To start, the guys talked about some of the conversations they had with the offensive players and coaches after practice, with a fine point on what went on with the offensive line during the team's first day in full pads. How much has the depth chart changed or stayed the same? Who is making moves? And how much competition for places is going to happen as the team moves forward?

Wednesday was also the third practice in a row where Michael Penix Jr didn't throw during the team periods. Those periods went exclusively again to Dylan Morris and Austin Mack.

Is Penix's absence from these periods something UW fans should be concerned about? Scott talked to Washington Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb after practice to get his thoughts on his Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback, and what would happen if UW had a game to play this weekend.

Talk then moved to the rest of the offensive position groups, with who stood out Wednesday as well as overall through these first six practices.

After a quick commercial break, the talk then turned to the defensive side of the ball, starting with the front seven. The defensive line might be down a player or two but the quality of depth is as good as it has been in a while.

Moving to the linebackers, you could definitely say the same for the inside defenders, who have legitimately five players that should play a ton of snaps this coming season.

And in the secondary, groups of cornerbacks are starting to sort themselves out, and others - like former Oregon CB Darren Barkins - are slowly but surely making moves.

Opinions varied on whether it was the offense or the defense that got the upper hand Tuesday during Day Five of Washington's fall camp, held at Husky Stadium.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Scott Eklund, and Chris Fetters - all came with different takes, but also with the understanding that both sides of the ball did some very good things while Michael Penix Jr sat out his second-straight day. Head Coach Kalen DeBoer told the media after that nothing is wrong with Penix, it was just another day for him to help him with his load management on his arm.

It gave even more reps to Dylan Morris and Austin Mack to share, and Eklund thought Morris may have had his best day of practice in the Purple and Gold that he's seen. He started out with a deep throw to Will Nixon early in practice and seemed to generally be in command of the offense. The true freshman Mack had his ups and downs as you would expect for a 17-year-old, but it's clear the stage is not too big for him.

The guys also talked about the running backs and the receivers, who have stood out and who took advantage of their turns on Tuesday. Probably the biggest name that stood out was sophomore Germie Bernard. With Denzel Boston a little nicked up and not practicing at 100 percent, Bernard took charge and had a couple of very nice connections down the field with Mack, the last one going for 65 yards and a score. It was coincidentally the last play of the practice.

After a quick break to pay some bills, the guys come back and talk about the other side of the ball. The Huskies came up with three interceptions on 'Takeaway Tuesday', one from Davon Banks, another from Elijah Jackson, and the final one came when Carson Bruener jumped a route and picked Morris off on a play that looked like it would have been destined for pay dirt.

The guys talked about the other defensive standouts, including Alphonzo Tuputala - who is finally getting a chance to play in something other than a yellow jersey.

The guys give their final thoughts on the day, and Kim also gave a reminder to anyone that wants to sign up for Run To Win's Legends Football Luncheon. Kim is MC'ing the event, one that will include Greg Lewis, Justin Glenn, JaMarcus Shephard, and more! The luncheon is in Club Husky and starts at Noon, but if you register you can come early to see the end of practice.

Click HERE to register for the luncheon.

Inoke Breckterfield, Ulumoo Ale, Faatui Tuitele, Tuli Letuligasenoa, Eric Schmidt, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Voi Tunuufi, Chuck Morrell, Julius Brown, and Jabbar Muhammad spoke to the media Thursday after Day Two of Washington Fall Camp, held at Husky Stadium.

Here is everything Washington Head Coach Kalen DeBoer said after Sunday's Day Four of Fall Camp.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - wrapped up an eventful week in the life of the Washington Football program. On Sunday they saw the fourth day of fall camp, one that did not include Michael Penix Jr at all.

It was weird to not see the senior starting quarterback taking snaps, but as UW Head Coach Kalen DeBoer said after practice, it was an opportunity to give him a breather, as well as give turns to Dylan Morris and especially Austin Mack, the true freshman.

The guys talk about watching a practice without Penix being involved, their first impressions of Mack as he finally got a heavy dose of action during the team periods, and other offensive players that have started to step up, like Arizona State transfer Daniyel Ngata.

DeBoer also updated the situation with true freshman RB Tybo Rogers, and the guys talk about that as well.

After a quick break, the talk turns to the other side of the ball, where the guys continue their praise of Voi Tunuufi and his move from the DL to EDGE. And is there some movement in the cornerback depth chart? Chris seems to think that maybe Thaddeus Dixon may have started to make a move on the starting cornerback job opposite Jabbar Muhammad, one that Elijah Jackson is also competing hard for.

The guys also talk a little bit more about expansion and also how the move of UW to the B1G is already being felt in recruiting, as DeBoer talked about that after Sunday's practice.

The Washington Huskies, along with the Oregon Ducks, made the decision on Friday to leave the Pac 12 and accept an offer to join the Big Ten in 2024. The move was historic, especially for Washington as it was one of the founding members of the conference over 100 years ago.

With such an unprecedented move, president Ana Marie Cauce and athletic director Jen Cohen had to address the media and they did just that a little over 24 hours later.

Cauce talked about the difficulty of making the "bittersweet", as she termed it, decision to leave the Pac 12, but felt it was in the best interest of the university as well as the student athletes and coaches.

She also added that Washington is very excited about the move and that it provides numerous possibilities both athletically and academically.

Cohen talked about some of the considerations they had to look at, including travel and, while declining to get into specifics about the financials, she said overall it would be a win for the Husky athletic programs.

Both reiterated their support of continuing the Apple Cup series, including all sports, with Washington State even though they would not be in the same conference anymore, citing their close relationships with their counterparts with the Cougars.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - sat down to recap an eventful day three of fall camp, one where the defense came to play.

The defense came up with two interceptions, both in periods where starting quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. didn't play. One was from freshman defensive back Leroy Bryant, and the other by transfer Thaddeus Dixon.

In the first part of the podcast, the guys break down the players they thought excelled on the defensive side of the ball, starting with Ale, and then moved to the offensive side of the ball. It was clear Washington OC Ryan Grubb was none too pleased with how practice ended and he let the media know about it.

It was also a bit of a learning process for the true freshmen, especially quarterback Austin Mack and the three receivers - Keith Reynolds, Taeshaun Lyons, and Rashid Williams. After a strong opening practice, things are coming thick and fast toward the freshmen and they're drinking through the proverbial fire hose as quickly as they can.

After a quick break, the talk then turns to yesterday's historic announcement that Washington and Oregon would be joining the Big Ten. There wasn't much to add from what the guys talked about during Friday night's emergency podcast, but they added some more context and laid the groundwork for this afternoon's media call with UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Athletic Director Jen Cohen.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were so surprised by the news of Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten they recorded TWO emergency podcasts, but only one made it off the cutting room floor.

In this half-hour emergency pod, the guys give their initial reactions to the Friday bombshell that Washington and Oregon would be joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten starting in 2024. In 18 hours, the Huskies went from having a special meeting of their Board of Regents to an official offer and acceptance from the Big Ten Conference, one that followed just minutes after Oregon unanimously approved their move to the Big Ten.

So who is to blame for the death of the Pac-12? And what were the events Friday that transpired to get UW and UO to the point where they had little choice but to jump ship? As always, the guys follow the money, and they also try to do a little guesswork as to how the Big Ten money compares not only to what the school is making now through the Pac-12, but how it will compare down the road when the Big Ten renegotiates its next media rights deal ahead of the 2030-31 season. Will it be similar to what Rutgers and Maryland had when they first joined the Big Ten?

And what about things like TV times? We know how UW fans love Pac-12 After Dark, so will this move help eliminate those pesky night games? And what about the Apple Cup? Or the game not called the Civil War?

And what to make of the rest of the crumbling Pac-12? What of the fate of Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Stanford, California, Oregon State, and Washington State? Could the Big Ten come back for the Bay Area schools at a later date? Could the Big 12 grab OSU and WSU at a discount, much in the same way the Big Ten is grabbing Oregon and Washington right now?

After a quick break, Scott talks about any recruiting ramifications of this move, and the guys also give their final thoughts not just on the move, but on the day and how it's going to impact things for this coming season. Needless to say, it's going to be seen as a big distraction eliminated for Kalen DeBoer and the Washington football team.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were at Husky Stadium Thursday for a beautiful Day Two of Fall Camp, and it wasn't quite as one-sided for the offense as it was on Day One. In fact, the defense more than held their own and made life a lot tougher for Michael Penix Jr and Dylan Morris.

We spoke with the defensive players and coaches after practice, and recapped a lot of their thoughts here. One of the big talking points was the move of Voi Tunuufi from DL to EDGE, and also about the depth at defensive line that allowed that move to take place.

We then moved to the linebackers and finally the defensive backs. One of the defensive backs we spoke about was Oklahoma State transfer Jabbar Muhammad, who spoke to Kim after practice. And then a quick look at the offensive side of the ball, including talk on the play of the day; a beautiful bomb from Penix to Denzel Boston as Boston glided past Jaivion Green for six.

After a quick break the guys get right into the heart of what everyone outside of Husky Stadium was talking about; realignment. The Washington Board of Regents are set to have a meeting at 9 pm tonight, likely having to do with a potential move away from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.

Will it happen? If it does happen, when will the school make it official? And who might be joining Washington if they do make a move to the Big Ten? And when is the earliest this could happen?