Ryan Walters will enter his second year on the coaching staff more comfortable and with a lot of talent to work with
SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies will have a tall task and will replace several players this offseason on the offensive and defensive side.
The Huskies will try and replace notable starters such as running back/2025 leading rusher Jonah Coleman and wide receiver/'25 leading receiver Denzel Boston.
The defensive side of the ball will also have a lot of playing time available. Starting cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock are both NFL-bound and several defensive lineman, such as Zach Durfee and Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei, are also attempting to go pro.
Whoever earns the playing time in spring and summer practice, they'll be guided by a much more comfortable coaching staff headed by second-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.
Walters was hired as defensive coordinator last season after two years as the head coach at Purdue.
Washington's defense took a notable step forward under Walters. The defense ranked fifth in the 18-team Big Ten conference in points per game (18.7), fifth in total yards allowed per game (311.4), third in turnover ratio (1.5) and third in touchdowns allowed per game (0.7).
Washington Huskies cornerback Leroy Bryant (top) comes down with an interception in the Los Angeles Bowl against the Boise State Broncos on Dec. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. -- Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn images.Enter this season, with another year with the coaching staff and another year of familiarity with the roster, Walters is more comfortable in his role.
"You're so much more comfortable with your surroundings (in year two)," Walters said in a news conference Monday at Touchdown Terrace at Husky Stadium on Monday. "A year ago I was just getting my feet on the ground and trying to figure everything out. Year two — it's home now. So just that familiarity is awesome. The continuity with the staff allows for growth and routine. We all speak the same language now, so the offseason wasn't installing and (trying) to figure out what we're gonna do. It was more fine-tuning, comb through ... figuring out what we're good and what areas we needed to improve on."
Walters will have several intriguing players joining his defensive rooms. Emmanuel Karnley (transferred from Virginia) is currently projected to be one of the team's starting outside cornerbacks.
The defensive line added to its ranks with the portal additions of Kai McLendon (Mississippi State), Logan George (Ohio State), DeSan Watts (Sacramento State) and Darin Conley (Ball State).
Conley specifically received from kind words from Walters.
"We obviously brought (Conley) in for a reason," Walters said. "It could be for a starting job. He's been doing great with the offseason program. Really all those guys have come in in January. ... The nutrition staff have done a really good job of getting those guys prepared for Big Ten-type play."
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