Who’s Next In The Secondary For Washington Football?

Washington football is losing four starters in the secondary, but they have a deep stable of talented guys just itching to get their turn

When you think of DBU, some think LSU, some think Ohio State, but others think of Washington football. The Huskies have shown off some incredible depth in the secondary over the last few seasons, and the talent back there will become apparent in 2019. After losing talent like Sidney Jones, Kevin King, Budda Baker, Taylor Rapp, and Byron Murphy over the last few seasons, it seems hard to replace guys like that.

The next men up seem up to the challenge though, and there’s a stable of incredibly talented guys itching to get their turn. Let’s start with the projected starters at cornerback in 2019, which are rising juniors Keith Taylor and Elijah Molden on the outside, with the only returning starter, Myles Bryant in the nickel.

Cornerback

Molden is an exciting player to watch. He made the All Pac-12 Second Team in 2018 as a special teams player and is finally getting his opportunity to start. He’s sat behind a pair of studs in Murphy and Jordan Miller, and soaked up everything he could from them. Bold Prediction: Molden will make an all-conference team again, but this time as a cornerback.

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Behind them should be Kyler Gordon, Dominique Hampton (who Bryant had a lot of good things to say about) and talented true freshman (who reminds 247’s national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman of Murphy) Trent McDuffie. Gordon is too talented to simply play special teams for another year, and he will most likely be used in dime sets like Molden was in 2018. Expect McDuffie to take over as a special teams gunner to try and preserve his redshirt while he develops under Jimmy Lake.

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Safety

This is where this class gets a little dicey, but there’s a lot of talent. Losing a three-year starter in Rapp, and a four-year starter in Jojo McIntosh really hurts. Brandon McKinney is one option, but he didn’t impress during the Rose Bowl and was consistently attacked and exposed by Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. He might start early in the season, but don’t be surprised if either of the true freshmen come in and take his job.

Much like Taylor Rapp during his first season, who pushed Budda Baker down into the nickel, Cam Williams or Asa Turner could force McKinney back into the third safety role. Turner is the higher rated prospect, but he might take a bit more time to adjust at safety, as he was used as a linebacker a decent amount in high school. Williams is probably the player that’s the biggest threat right now, as he’s an early enrollee, who has the prototypical body type for a safety, much like that three-star safety that came out of Bellingham a few years ago.

At the other strong safety spot, it looks like Julius Irvin‘s job to lose. Isaiah Gilchrist is the other name to keep an eye on here, but Irvin is a big, strong guy who has great ball skills (he also played receiver in high school) and good range. He seems like the perfect replacement for McIntosh.

The amount of new starters on defense is definitely going to be a cause for concern among Husky fans, but with guys like these, the transition should be a smooth one, and these guys won’t miss a beat.