Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

For the first time this spring, Washington allowed fans into their practices. The estimated 500 or so in attendance were treated to some sunny, but cool weather as they sat socially distanced in the stands and they also got the chance to see the Husky offense do its thing a bit more than we'd seen in the first two days of camp.

Dawgman's Chris Fetters was in attendance and following his interviews with the players, he went through and talked about what he saw during the two-hour practice and talked about the first thing you noticed about today's practice was it was the first time the Husky players were in pads. The pads were poppin' and it played a big role in the amped up intensity of practice.

Offensively, Jay'Veon Sunday, as we mentioned on day one of practice, was a player who had missed playing some football after having not played during the four-game 2020 football season and he and safety Alex Cook had a big collision that elicited some "oohs and ahs" from the fans in attendance.

Fetters also noted that Colorado State transfer Patrick O'Brien likely had the best day of the three scholarship quarterbacks and that he engineered a long touchdown drive on his first 11v11 possession. He noted that Dylan Morris was mostly up and down with some nice plays, but inconsistency as well while freshman Sam Huard was unable to notch a score although he narrowly missed hitting walk-on tight end Wilson Schwartz in the back corner of the endzone on his first drive.

Sean McGrew had a big run off the right side for 35 yards and Fetters felt like the tailbacks showed they are a deep group that will be competing for reps all spring long.

There were also some spectacular grabs, one by freshman wide receiver Jalen McMillan and there were also a few skirmishes between players that were broken up quickly.

To listen to the 20-minute podast, click on the audio link below...

On Friday, Washington Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory and Outside Linebackers Coach Ikaika Malloe met the media for the first time in their new roles. Last season, it was Pete Kwiatkowski who served as both Washington's defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach, but Coach K is gone to Texas, so in the offseason re-shuffle, Gregory added defensive coordinator to his role as UW's inside linebackers coach. And Malloe moved into Coach K's position role, and new coach Rip Rowan took over Malloe's old job as Washington's defensive line coach.

They not only spoke about the things they've seen during UW's first two spring practices, but they also talked about their new roles, why they took them and things they are working on to shore up deficiencies that showed up during the shortened 2020 season.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - gathered post-practice on Friday to give their thoughts after Day 2 of spring football.

And as much as they wanted to praise the quarterbacks, it was simply a day where the defense won out. But that doesn't mean the offense didn't get some licks in. The guys talk about the running back group, who is standing out, and how Richard Newton looked after missing Wednesday's practice.

The media spoke with defensive coordinator Bob Gregory and outside linebackers coach Ikaika Malloe after practice, and the guys talk a little about their comments to the press, including an interesting prediction from Malloe when asked about OLB Bralen Trice.

And, of course, there had to be some quarterback talk, so we went a few rounds talking about Sam Huard and his struggles during day 2, the instant feedback sessions he's having with OC John Donovan, as well as some analysis on the other two scholarship quarterbacks (Dylan Morris, Patrick O'Brien).

There's always so much to find out as a fan, but only so much you can say as a coach. That's the dilemma Jimmy Lake found himself Wednesday after Day 1 of Washington's Spring Football campaign, as it's simply the start, yet everyone outside the program already wants all the answers.

But he was able to update the media on a number of things, including the retirement of OLB Laiatu Latu, opt-outs Isaiah Gilchrist and Jacob Kizer not returning, the reasoning behind bringing in some of the four-year transfers, including receiver Ja'Lynn Polk and defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles, as well as just being grateful they can have spring ball at all.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - were at Husky Stadium on a blustery and cold Wednesday morning to greet the first day of spring football at Montlake, and it did not disappoint.

It was a practice filled with miscues on both sides of the ball, as you would expect for a first practice. As UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake mentioned during his post-practice press conference, this was the first spring practice experience for over half the players on the team, considering there was no spring football in 2020.

And starting with the unfortunate news of Laiatu Latu's retirement, the Dawgman guys roll through their observations of what they saw during the two-hour practice, including how the newcomers and transfers fared - starting with the quarterbacks.

They will be the ones embroiled in the marquee position battle of both spring and fall, so it was great to see Dylan Morris, Patrick O'Brien, and Sam Huard get plenty of reps during the first practice of spring.

The Dawgman guys also break down the other position groups, most notably the offensive and defensive lines, the running backs, receivers, and defensive backs, and not only talk about where certain players lined up, but also how they looked on the hoof.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - are gearing up for spring football, and you should too!

The Washington Huskies begin their 15 spring practices on Wednesday, and the fans are going to be able to see 10 of them. You have to sign up to get a ticket, but if you were ever interested in what a spring practice looked like that wasn’t the Spring Game, this is the best opportunity the fans have had in years to take advantage of such an offer.

The media already caught up with Washington Head Coach Jimmy Lake this week, and we got his thoughts on what running a pro-style offense means to him.

And also to that end, the Dawgman guys break down what they plan on checking out starting Wednesday morning, starting with the marquee position battle at quarterback, all the way through special teams, going first with the offense and then moving to the defense after the first break.

When the defensive previews are done, there’s another quick break, followed by a recruiting segment, where Scott Eklund talks about some recent offers, and also how having open spring practices can really benefit Washington’s recruiting efforts.

Because the NFL Scouting Combine was canceled, that just heightened the stakes for what took place at the Dempsey Indoor Facility Tuesday during NFL Pro Day.

Twelve pro hopefuls took part in testing and position workouts from three different classes, but all eyes were focused on four players from the 2020 class: Keith Taylor, Levi Onwuzurike, Joe Tryon, and Elijah Molden.

Dawgman.com was part of the media group that was able to talk to all four former Huskies after their Pro Day workouts, and you can hear what they thought of their days, as well as who they’ve been talking to and the work they’ve put in to get to this point.

Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters of Dawgman.com have been monitoring the revolving door that has recently become Washington’s basketball program, with players and coaches both coming and going. And it’s not going to stop any time soon as a major overhaul continues to take place.

To start, they focus on the departures. Former assistant Cameron Dollar, as well as players Erik Stevenson and Marcus Tsohonis, have declared their intent to move on to new challenges after playing their part in UW’s 5-21 season.

And when one player moves on, another comes to take their place. And in this case, Washington is already seeing new faces emerge to help with their 2021-2022 season. Nigeria’s Samuel Ariyibi is the latest to verbally commit to the Huskies, and he’s simply the latest in a long line of players from that region to try and make a splash in the Pac-12, including Washington State’s Efe Abogidi and Oregon State’s Warith Alatishe.

They also talk about other players, especially ones with local ties like Terrell Brown, Tari Eason, and Emmitt Matthews, who have entered the transfer portal and could become UW targets for a return to the 206.

After a quick break to pay some bills, Grinolds and Fetters move on to the Washington football program and what’s on the horizon, namely UW’s Pro Day. It will be held this coming Wednesday at the Dempsey Indoor Facility, and Grinolds will be on hand to offer his first-hand perspective, while Fetters and Scott Eklund will be monitoring the NFL Network’s telecast of the event, as well as the post-workout interviews with players like Levi Onwuzurike, Elijah Molden, Keith Taylor, and Joe Tryon.

It was historic, but for all the wrong reasons. Dawgman.com’s Chris Fetters and Aaron Beach take a deep dive into the problems that plagued Washington’s 2020-21 men’s basketball season, on both ends of the floor.

In part one, they autopsy the season from start to finish, how the schedule they ended up playing due to the pandemic got them off on the wrong foot, how the zone proved to be ill-suited for the players Mike Hopkins and his staff had at their disposal, and ultimately what caused them to win only five games all year, the lowest number of wins in a UW season since 1994.

After a quick break, Fetters and Beach delve into the returners for this coming season, and how the roster could be constructed using the returners. Who makes up the starting five? Who comes off the bench? How will newcomer Jackson Grant be used?

Beach also gives his thoughts on the transfer portal, who UW has already reached out to, and the number of players he expects to leave Montlake from the current group in the coming weeks.

After our last break, we salute former UW assistant coach Cameron Dollar as he takes off for his next endeavor, which is the Dollar Youth Initiative, a non-profit organization designed to help young people grow, especially those in disadvantaged communities.

With Dollar’s departure, how does Beach see Hopkins revamping the rest of his staff during the offseason? And could there be additional staff brought on to specifically deal with recruiting?

What can you really say about a team that went 3-1 over an entire season? When it comes to gauging the Washinton Huskies, perhaps it's better to start at their most well-known asset, freshman QB Sam Huard.

Host: Trey Scott  

Guest: Brandon Huffman

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