Depth chart projection: Early thoughts on Washington's new-look defense
Let's get ahead of ourselves.
Though some feeling of stability should underpin coach Jedd Fisch’s second season at Washington, it occurred to me recently that the Huskies’ 2025 defense is going to be a little like their 2024 offense.
The statistic which best illustrated Fisch’s offensive rebuild last year, I thought, was that none of UW’s top 15 offensive players, in terms of snaps played, returned from the 2023 team. The turnover isn’t quite as stark for the Huskies’ defense this offseason, but it’s not far off.
Consider: of the 10 players who led UW’s defense in snaps last season, only one returns (Ephesians Prysock, come on down). Gone, too, are 10 of the Huskies’ top 12 tacklers (Prysock and Makell Esteen will carry the torch) and every player who intercepted a pass. The guy who called the plays and the guy who coached the safeties are both working elsewhere, too. Plus, the Huskies are still over the 85-scholarship limit Fisch wants to maintain, so there will be more attrition during the spring portal window (or before it, or after it). You never know which other potential returners they might lose before August.
Between the influx of new personnel — and the arrival of a new defensive coordinator with his own ideas about scheme and alignment — projecting Washington’s depth chart is, in some ways, more challenging than ever. But the addition of so many experienced transfers — seven or eight of whom, by my count, have a chance to be starters — also simplifies things to some degree, because it’s fair to assume many of those players will sit atop the depth chart.
Walters’ defense has been described as a 3-4, a 3-3-5 and even a 5-1-5. My guess is you’ll see looks which fall in each of those categories (and more). Broadly speaking, Walters likes to put five guys on the line of scrimmage, and often plays with a nickel package in the defensive backfield.
For reference, Purdue’s first depth chart last season listed 12 positions:
Three defensive linemen weighing 302, 333 and 290 pounds
Two “rush ends” sized 6-6, 265 pounds and 6-4, 251 pounds
Two inside linebackers
Five defensive backs
I’ll use the same format for my own early defensive depth chart projection (i.e. don’t yell at me when you notice there are 12 positions listed), though actual nomenclature could always change. I look forward to revisiting this after spring ball. Consider this my early sketch of what Walters’ first defense could look like at Washington.