With the 2018 season winding down, Washington Football fans are already looking forward to next season. The biggest question in college football is who’s next?
College football is a constant revolving door of players. In spite of that, the best coaches know how to replace their talent. They must, as players continuously graduate and/or leave for the NFL. The Washington Football team has a number of those high-caliber players this year. And so the question is who will step up for head coach Chris Petersen next season?
Coach Petersen values fit over talent in his recruiting classes. That being said, Petersen continues to recruit better and better classes to the team. Now, has managed to gather his two best recruiting classes ever in the past two years. All the while, there is plenty of reason to believe some players can step up. Right now, projections of players graduating and going to the NFL include some talented playmakers. They include: WR Dante Pettis, DT Vita Vea, LB Keishawn Bierria, RB Myles Gaskin, LB Azeem Victor, and more.
Great coaches deliver great talent
That means the NFL will see some incredibly talented rookies in 2018. Still, the NFL gains are the Huskies losses. So who will slide in to fill the void? If this keeps you awake at night, never fear. The same coaching staff who continue to raise the bar each year are still working both sides of the team improvement. Not only do these coaches identify highly talented players who will fit the needs of the team, but they double as mentors and coaches who help them to realize their full potential.
But in the end, who will shine next season? That is where we help sort through it all. We have three such new prospects who could make a significant impact for the 2018 team: Sam Taimani, Ty Jones, and Camilo Eifler
Sam Taimani
OG/DT Sam Taimani is a 4-star recruit who has two-way potential as a guard and defensive tackle. At 6-foot-2 and 315 pounds, he proved that he can play on both sides of the ball in high school. When Washington failed to land defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, the team needed to fill the void on the defensive line.
Right now, assistant coaches debate whether he will play offense or defense. He can do both, and quite well. Since the team will lose Vea, we bet Taimani get a look on defense. According to an interview with 247 Sports, he will be playing defensive line for at least the beginning of his college career.
Big athlete = big impact
Since he’s a big body, athletic, and knows the ins and outs of offensive line, he should have a great deal of success. The interior of the defensive line is a very shallow position heading into 2018. Right now the expectation is that Gaines will remain through his senior year, Still, if Greg Gaines decides to leave Washington a year early, the team is scrambling for defensive linemen.
Should Gaines leave, Jaylen Johnson and Levi Onwuzurike will probably start. But the Huskies work best when they have a deep rotation along the line. With Taimani, the Huskies also have a beefed-up Temple University transfer by the name of Josiah Bronson. At 6-foot-5 and bulked up to 290 pounds, Bronson will be a solid contributer. Both Brownson and Taimani will fit very well into that rotation. If Taimani has a good training camp, he could even start by the end of next season.
Ty Jones
Wide receiver Ty Jones was one of Chris Petersen’s top finds in the 2017 recruiting class, a 6-foot-4 receiver from Provo, Utah. He earned the distinction of U.S Army All American during his senior year of high school. Jones was able to see some playing time during his freshman year, and was actually the leading receiver for the Huskies in the Apple Cup.
Granted, that was only two catches for 23 yards. But it was a very rainy night. In the end, junior quarterback Jake Browning showed a lot of confidence in the young receiver. So did Coach Petersen. In fact, Petersen found a lot of different times to work Jones onto the field. That is particularly important knowing that senior wide receiver Dante Pettis graduates this season.
Jake Browning will need to work other players into the offense. Wide receiver Chico McClatcher will be back. Tight end Hunter Bryant proved that he is an elite weapon as well. Now, the Washington Huskies must find another true weapon for next year. From this vantage point, Jones is ideally positioned to be such an elite receiver for 2018.
Camilo Eifler
Lineback Camilo Eifler is a highly touted 4-star recruit from the class of 2016. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 213 pounds, he has all the physical attributes needed to succeed in the NCAA. On top of all that, he is a freak athlete who completely understands the linebacker spot.
Coach Petersen brought in two elite linebackers, the first in thunderously hard-hitting linebacker M.J. Tafisi as well as lightning quick linebacker Brandon Kaho. They come in as true freshmen. But Eifler is a redshirt freshman who has learned the system for two years. Now, he’s ready to show the team just what he can do. Fueled by that patience and knowledge, he is eager to tear up the Pac-12 in 2018. Since the Huskies say farewell to both Azeem Victor and Keishawn Beirria, he will likely get that chance.
Eifler will be a prime candidate to step up and fill a vacancy. In fact, he is already turning heads. Linebackers coach Bob Gregory has called Eifler “the most explosive guy we have on the team”. That being said, his development has taken a little bit of time. You see, Eifler only played two years of organized football before coming to Washington.
He tested incredibly well at the Husky combine, including recording a 39.5 inch vertical jump. The most anticipated aspect is packaging his vast athleticism into the defense. Should he work well at the spot, he will see a giant uptick in playing time.