Washington football: 2020 outside linebackers preview

Sav’ell Smalls

Smalls is the most exciting in-state prospect to sign with Washington since Reggie Williams. Measuring in at 6’4, 244, the outside linebacker is a perfect mold for Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense and should find a way to contribute early and often.

He displays an extensive amount of pass rush moves for a high schooler, and he’ll impress the coaching staff from the moment he arrives on campus. Expect him to be utilized in a limited capacity early on, as the coaching staff will probably want to keep him on a snap count and use him strictly on passing downs. As the season goes along and he continues to improve his conditioning and gets a feel for speed and physicality of the college game, he should start to see more and more snaps.

A strong season from Smalls would be a great thing for the Huskies on the recruiting trail as well, because if they were to land the country’s number one player J.T. Tuimoloau, he’d probably be utilized in a similar way during his first season on campus.