Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

Dawgman.com’s Kim Grinolds spoke Wednesday with the Head of Hoops - Aaron Beach - about all the comings and goings that have happened with the Washington Men’s Basketball team the last six weeks, including a number of verbal commitments and two new coaching signings.

They first talk about new assistant coaches Wyking Jones and Quincy Pondexter and how their west coast ties will certainly begin to pay dividends when it comes to upgrading the talent on the roster. Jones is the one who has the coaching chops, having been an assistant under such coaches as Paul Westphal, Steve Alford, and Rick Pitino. Pondexter is going to use his story as a Washington alum, pro player, and recent AAU coach to become a monster recruiter while he learns how to be a Division-1 coach under Mike Hopkins, Will Conroy, and Jones.

Next, Grinolds and Beach break down the recent Washington verbal commits, and there have been a lot of them. They started with the most recent one, former Stanford guard Daejon Davis, and why they feel like what Davis brings is the perfect fit for what the Huskies need right now.

Then they also talk about the other local guys that have returned home, Emmitt Matthews, Jr. and Terrell Brown, and how they’ll use their experiences at other programs to bring much-needed traits to Montlake, including a commitment to playing defense. Davis and Brown are actual cousins, and Grinolds and Beach talk about that relationship and how that will also play with the current group of Hoop Dawgs that have stayed from last year.

Next, they talk about the surprise commitment of former Alabama power forward Langston Wilson, the No. 1 juco PF in the country, and how he’ll compliment Nate Roberts and freshman Jackson Grant along the back line of the zone, as well as similarities to another recent UW forward.

After that, they talk about some other pieces that are out there that Washington could finish their 2021 recruiting class with, including former Nathan Hale, Garfield, and Findlay Prep star P.J. Fuller, who has been playing at TCU, and UTEP’s Bryson Williams.

To finish off the podcast, Grinolds and Beach project out the 2021 starting roster and how the new faces will fit in with who is already at Montlake. Do they think one or two of them will turn out to be the main scoring threats, or will it be more of a scoring-by-committee approach?

Here is everything Washington Head Coach Jimmy Lake said after the Washington Spring Game, held this past Saturday at Husky Stadium.

The final practice of spring was an actual football game and the fans that were in the stands and those that watched it on the Pac 12 Network were treated to some big plays on offense and a defense that flew around and made things difficult on their offensive counterparts. It was a lot to take in but the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Scott Eklund, Chris Fetters and intern Jack McCauley -- broke down what they saw and gave their thoughts on the nearly three-hour practice.

The quarterback battle is one that everyone wants to figure out, including the coaches, but at this point in time it still looks like it will be a competition between Dylan Morris and Patrick O'Brien and, from what we saw on Saturday, Sam Huard might not be totally out of the race either.

They also talked about the receivers and the secondary and how difficult it is for the former to get any kind of separation. Is it because the receivers just aren't very good or because the defensive backs are some of the best in the country? They answer those questions and also gave their thoughts on some of the outstanding newcomers and walk-ons that are currently on the roster including Texas A&M transfer Jeremiah Martin who was one of the standouts of the day, tipping a couple of passes and generally making it almost impossible to run on the Husky defense.

They also talked about Cade Otton's one-handed touchdown grab and Elijah Jackson's impressive interception that set up a touchdown and a few other players who stood out.

Washington Head Coach Jimmy Lake met with the media after UW's Day 13 spring football practice.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui may be out for a while, but you can't switch off his competitive nature. The outside linebacker was rolling around Wednesday's practice on a scooter for his left leg, recently repaired after an Achilles rupture, but his voice certainly wasn't hurt.

After calling out guys during a 1-1 session between the offensive and defensive lines, walk-on OL Gage Harty had heard enough from ZTF. "Watch out, or I'm gonna come over and kick your wheel!" Harty said, laughing.

The verbal sparring definitely spilled over to the field, as the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - ran down the different situations that highlighted Day 13 of Washington's spring football campaign.

As per usual, UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake put the team into some unusual situations; second and goal from the 4-yard line with 4 seconds left, down 8. Only one of the quarterbacks was able to get a touchdown and a 2-point conversion - Sam Huard.

There was also situations coming out of the end zone that led the defense to win via a safety. But it was the red zone lock out at the end where the energy was bumped up way past 10. The defense ended up winning the period 20-15, but Huard was one completed pass away from spoiling the defense's mood for the day.

The Dawgman guys talked about the quarterback battle between Dylan Morris and Patrick O'Brien, as well as Huard slowing coming up for air after having been underwater for most of spring.

Talked turned to the defense and some of the standout performances, including those who had interceptions on the day; Kyler Gordon, James Smith, Jacobe Covington, and two picks by Brendan Radley-Hiles, who took one to the house while backup center Corey Luciano chased him all the way.

They also talked about Saturday's spring game, one where the fans should expect an actual game to break out. How refreshing! Cade Otton will captain the Purple team, while Jaxson Kirkland will captain the Gold team. The teams have been split up via draft, so hopefully, we'll get a roster we can share with you on game day.

Finally, the guys talk about the 2021 NFL Draft, which starts Thursday, and their opinions on where the four Huskies - Levi Onwuzurike, Joe Tryon, Elijah Molden, and Keith Taylor - will get drafted.

Spring football isn’t just about the players getting prepared for the season ahead, it’s also about the coaches making sure they’re fully prepared to deal with everything that comes up.

And Jimmy Lake hasn’t been shy about throwing out all sorts of different game scenarios that tests the team’s ability to immediately react and perform under different levels of pressure.

Sometimes it’s a 4-minute drill where the offense is playing keep-away from the defense to salt away a win. Sometimes it’s the offense backed up deep in their own end, no time outs, and they have to score down three points.

No matter what Lake draws up at any point in time, just know that it could change at any moment, and it’s not just the players who have to roll with it.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - begin and end the Day 12 podcast talking about the different situations Lake has put the units in and how it has stressed the players and coaches alike. John Donovan talked about it specifically on Monday when he took questions from the media.

The guys also talk about who had big days on offense, starting with receiver Jalen McMillan, who had two pass plays of over 50 yards, as well as juco tight end Quentin Moore.

The talk also turned to the offensive line and how they’ve been quietly steady throughout spring, despite not having starting right tackle Victor Curne for the last week or so.

But the main talk on the offense has to do with the quarterbacks, no surprise there. Dylan Morris showed why he’s the number-one guy, but Patrick O'Brien continues to impress and has definitely earned the trust of the offensive coaches.

Moving to the running backs, Cameron Davis and Richard Newton were the ones who stood out the most on Monday, but we talk about where that position stands heading into the final week of spring.

Talk moved to the other side of the ball, with comments on Edefuan Ulofoshio playing some on the edges Monday, much like Josh Calvert did on Saturday - as well as players singled out by Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory for their play to date, namely Cameron Williams, Kamren Fabiculanan, Tuli Letuligasenoa, Sam Taimani, and Bralen Trice.

We also talk about some of the defensive players who stood out, including Jacobe Covington, Meki Pei, and Mishael Powell.

It wasn't the nicest outside, but the Washington Huskies continued to get a lot of work done, and this Saturday's practice was all about situational football.

And the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were joined by current intern Jack McCauley and former intern Luke Mounger to create a full-on roundtable to break down everything they saw after Day 11 of spring football.

They start with the different situations the team practiced, from basic 2-minute situations to a 4-minute drill at the end of practice. The team mixed in wrap tempo with some live work, especially as the offenses got closer to the end zone.

The group broke down the work of the offense first, starting with the quarterbacks and moving down through the tailbacks, receivers, tight ends, and the offensive line. They also talked about how some sloppy play in the form of dropped passes and penalties stalled some very promising drives.

They then turned their attention to the defense, namely the pass rush without Laiatu Latu and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, who has stepped up in their absence, and who is starting to work their way toward more playing time.

Moving inside, it was clear Daniel Heimuli was getting more turns with the ones today, and Josh Calvert was getting some play as an outside linebacker. That became even clearer when he de-cleated Jay'Veon Sunday.

Talk finished up with who stood out in the secondary, including Cameron Williams, Jacobe Covington and Makell Esteen, who had the only interception of the day.

Finally, are there any real kicking competitions going on at punter and placekicker, and if the team was down three and they needed a 52-yard field goal to tie on the last play of regulation, who would you choose? Peyton Henry? Tim Horn? Jarrett North? The guys hammer out their thoughts on that.

The clock is tickin', so the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - broke down their observations from Day 10 of spring football, one where the Washington Huskies weren't wearing full pads, but that didn't mean they didn't pack in a lot of situational football during their 90-minute practice.

Starting with the quarterbacks, Grinolds and Fetters broke down what they saw from Dylan Morris, Patrick O'Brien, and Sam Huard, and also who stood out from the receivers and high ends. With the day being almost exclusively dedicated to the 2-minute drill, there wasn't much to talk about when it came to the running backs, except for the details, like pass protection and how well they caught the ball out of the backfield.

When it came to the receivers, Taj Davis had his biggest day as a Husky to date. He caught two balls for at least 25 yards each, getting popped pretty hard by the UW secondary for his efforts. Freshman Mark Redman had a very good day too for the tight ends, catching the lone touchdown scored all day by the offense.

Tight Ends Coach Derham Cato and Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Terrence Brown spoke to the media after practice, and Grinolds and Fetters talk a little about their groups and what they said.

Jimmy Lake spoke with the media Wednesday, where he confirmed both Will Pliska and Zion Tupuola-Fetui would be out a minimum of six months with a fractured ankle and ruptured Achilles, respectively. He also talked about situational football, why he loves it so much, and also gave his thoughts on the OLB, OL, WR, and QB position groups.

The news was expected, but it still was jolting when Washington head coach Jimmy Lake addressed the media on Wednesday following practice and announced that outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui tore his Achilles injury last Friday and will be out for a minimum of six months, likely meaning the Huskies' best pass-rusher will likely miss the entire 2021 football season although the second-year head coach did leave open the possibility of a return before the end of the season.

The guys from Dawgman.com were on hand for practice and the announcement and gave their thoughts on things including the recovery time for Tupuola-Fetui and walk-on offensive lineman Will Pliska, the latter of which fractured his ankle close in the same practice, and what they can expect once they get back. Do Achilles injuries heal and become stronger or is it something that can linger and always be an issue? Does an Achilles tear no matter what or were there some structural issues that led to it being weakened?

The unfortunately injury news overshadowed, what appeared to be a pretty good day for the Husky quarterbacks, especially Dylan Morris and Patrick O'Brien who had a couple of nice touchdown throws in redzone work while wide receivers like Terrell Bynum and Jalen McMillan and tight ends Cade Otton, Quentin Moore and Mark Redman each had some big grabs as well.

In the secondary, the defensive backs continued to shine and the guys talked specifically about the play of safety Dominique Hampton and the two players battling for the right to start at the nickel spot, Oklahoma transfer Brendan Radley-Hiles and redshirt sophomore Kamren Fabiculanan, all three of which had interceptions on the day.

We don't normally discuss the punters, but today, Race Porter stood out with two 60-plus yard punts that really opened peoples eyes.