Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

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DawgmanRadio: Catching Up On Football, Recruiting And Basketball Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Even though we're into the "deadest" time of the year, that's a relative term because there's still a lot going on, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- thought it would be a good idea to catch Husky fans up on what has been going on. From football, to basketball and recruiting, they spend a little over 30 minutes breaking things down and going over all that has been happening on Montlake.

Their first hit was the football recruiting trail.

Eklund broke down the impending announcement of Los Alamitos (Ca.) LB Kamar Mothudi as well as where things stand currently with in-state four-star prospects Isendre Ahfua and Jason Brown.

They also discussed what the coaches have been up to and what will be happening over the next couple of weeks before the start of fall camp.

Lastly, Grinolds gave an update on the basketball team and talked about one of their latest commitments, former Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy, and the two discussed three former Husky basketball players -- Isaiah Stewart, Dejounte Murray and Matisse Thybulle -- who are on the cusp of signing big contracts with their NBA teams.

DawgmanRadio: Breaking Down the Week in Commitments Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - break down the flurry of activity that has taken place in the last 10 days at Montlake, as the Washington Huskies went from one verbal commit for their 2024 recruiting class - Paki Finau - and turned it into a dozen commits, the last one being DL Dominic Kirks on Friday morning.

In the first half of the show, the guys talk about Kirks' decision, and then go into some details on the other prospects that verbally committed ahead of UW's big D (Decision) Day; Monday the 26th.

That meant talking about the verbal commitments given by Jason Robinson, Justice Williams, and Decker DeGraaf.

After a quick break, the guys then delve into the chaos that ensued this past Monday, starting with the verbal commitment of defensive lineman Omar Khan from the greater-Houston area. Then it was St. John Bosco LB Khmori House, followed quickly by Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial EDGE Noah Carter.

Later in the afternoon, Ratumana Bulabalavu from Carlsbad, Calif. gave his public pledge, and then Etiwanda's Dermaricus Davis made his decision known, giving the Huskies their prep quarterback for the 2024 recruiting class.

Tuesday night it was defensive back Elias Johnson from Jesuit High School in Portland (Jaxson Kirkland's alma mater) who chose Washington over Washington State and Oregon State in a unique reveal (we talk about it), and then on Thursday night Peyton Waters from Van Nuys (Calif.) Birmingham announced his commitment to Washington over UCLA, Utah, Stanford, Northwestern, USC, and others.

Chris and Scott go in-depth on each one, and at the end of the podcast give UW fans an idea of what they should expect next from the Huskies in recruiting as things start to slow down as the summer creeps into the Emerald City.

Washington & Stanford on a roll + Takeaways from Under Armour Future 50 Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

247Sports National Recruiting Editor Brandon Huffman joins Andrew Ivins to talk about Washington's and Stanford's recruiting hot streak as well as the takeaways from the Under Armour Future 50 at IMG Academy.

Washington Gets Hot - 3:10

Stanford Rises Up - 15:20

Future 50 Takeaways - 24:30

2025 4-star OT Michael Fasusi - 28:45

2025 4-star QB Akili Smith Jr - 33:30

2025 4-star QB KJ Lacey - 37:30

2025 4-star RB Harlem Berry - 41:00

2025 4-star WR Dallas Wilson - 41:45

Host: Andrew Ivins

Guest: Brandon Huffman

Follow or Subscribe to the 247Sports Football Recruiting podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find the 247Sports podcast for your favorite team here!

DawgmanRadio: Previewing Washington's Big Recruiting Weekend Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - got together Friday morning to not just give an overview on who is currently taking official visits to Washington, but also the big push the UW coaches are making with 11 more recruits coming to Montlake to start their official visits today and tomorrow.

Here is the full list of 2024 high school prospects that are on campus right now or will be on campus within the next 24 hours:

EDGE Deshawn Warner from Goodyear, Ariz.

Safety Dontae Carter from Cibolo, Tex.

WR Jason Robinson from Long Beach Poly

LS Cannon Skidmore from Mesa, Ariz.

WR Elias Johnson from Portland, Ore.

DL Keona Wilhite from Tucson, Ariz. (committed to Arizona)

EDGE Noah Carter from Peoria, Ariz.

DL Ratumana Bulabalavu from Carlsbad, Calif.

WR Justice Williams from Westlake Village, Calif.

DL Omar Khan from Cypress, Tex.

OL Ikinasio Tupou from Palo Alto, Calif.

LB Ashtin Kekahuna-Lopes from Bellflower, Calif.

TE Decker DeGraaf from Glendora, Calif.

LB Khmori House from Bellflower, Calif.

Safety Peyton Waters from Van Nuys, Calif.

OL Paki Finau from Hesperia, Calif. (Washington commit)

DL Jericho Johnson from Fairfield, Calif.

QB Dermaricus Davis from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

DawgmanRadio: Previewing Washington's First Big Recruiting Weekend Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - got together to preview the six prospects that are scheduled to take official visits to Washington this upcoming weekend.

In the first part of the podcast, the guys talked about how, with nearly 30 official visits scheduled for these next two weekends, Washington's recruiting efforts is mirroring a lot of what they did last year, but with a couple of new twists.

Now that Washington has an 11-2 story they can sell on the recruiting trail, they aren't as gung-ho to try and wrap up a lot of their recruiting work early. They are willing to wait a little bit longer in the hopes their longer-game approach can bear fruit the closer they get to mid-December for the mid-year signing period.

The other thing to consider is that recruits now have unlimited opportunities to take official visits. That means the potential for more recruits to take late visits in the cycle, and with that the possibility of late flips.

After a quick break, Chris and Scott focus on the six players taking official visits this coming weekend, including two current UW commits.

Here they are.

Seattle (Wash.) Garfield QB EJ Caminong

Henderson (Nev.) Liberty WR Landon Bell

Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon WR Kwazi Gilmer

Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela-St. Joseph DL Dominic Kirks

Valley Village (Calif.) Campbell Hall LB Kamar Mothudi

Long Beach (Calif.) Poly LB Dylan Williams

DawgmanRadio: A Washington Huskies Recruiting Deep Dive May 19, 2023

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - go way above their allotted time to really sink their teeth into Washington's recent recruiting efforts, as well as what their plan is moving forward with next month's official visits.

To start, Chris gets Scott's take on Kalen DeBoer's new 'woof' that he debuted on Twitter recently, as well as thoughts on UW's latest commitment for their 2024 recruiting class, Paki Finau.

Scott doesn't believe the Huskies will enter the fall with as many commitments as they had a year ago, and there are reasons for that. The guys go into those reasons, as well as some of the recent trends the guys are seeing with recruiting in general, from the impact made by the transfer portal and NIL, to specific thoughts on why the Huskies are recruiting so many quarterbacks for 2025.

And will the staff be able to compete at a high level for some of the country's top prospects, or will they have to rely more on trying to mining those nuggets they can develop into top players? And how will the new recruiting landscape test DeBoer's patience and determination in maintaining his core beliefs and culture that has been established at Montlake?

After a break to pay some bills, the guys come back to talk specifically about scholarship numbers, how many scholarships should be available for the 2024 recruiting class, and whether or not the UW staff will keep some rides in their pocket for key portal additions or if they'll reward current walk on players like Jack McCallister, Drew Fowler, Grady Gross, etc...

They also talk about some recent offers, including one to long snapper Cannon Skidmore (you can see the full list of 2024 offers HERE), and they also go deep into the two visit weekends that are set to start a month from now (you can see the full list of players that are expected to officially visit Washington HERE).

Will some names be added to those lists? Will they try and have one big week like they did last year where they ended up with nearly a commit a day for about 10 days in June? Or are they looking to be more targeted in their approach and exercise patience for some of the bigger fish out there that aren't expected to make their commitments until much later in the process?

And finally, we get to hear Scott's educated guesses when it comes to the list of players he expects could commit to Washington soon.

DawgmanRadio: Reviewing The Special Teams After Spring Football May 06, 2023

Show notes

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- wrap things up with a look at the special teams.

Record-setting kicker Peyton Henry wrapped up his collegiate career in 2022, so Washington is looking for his replacement. The guys discuss the ongoing battle between two walk-ons -- Addison Schrock and Grady Gross -- and who led coming out of spring camp. Gross handled a vast majority of the kickoffs as a true freshman last season, but neither has kicked a field goal in an actual game, so this battle will likely go through the end of fall camp and maybe even into the season before a winner is determined.

At punter, Jack McCallister was a surprise winner of the job last season, but the Huskies weren't completely satisfied with his performance as they went out and grabbed Adam Saul from the JUCO ranks. Both are walk-ons, but there is definitely the potential to earn a scholarship with a good performance this season.

As far as the returners go, the guys looked at what Jalen McMillan and Giles Jackson bring at the punt-returner and there will be a battle between those two as well as some of the incoming freshmen, namely Leroy Bryant, who could challenge for a spot as the main punt returner.

Kick returner should be a battle between Jackson, Cameron Davis and Daniyel Ngata.

Ngata was a solid kick returner at Arizona State and Jackson was established as a very good kick returner at his previous school, Michigan, while Davis split kick return duties with Jackson last season.

What will be interesting is to see if Davis is still in the mix as the top kick returner if he winds up being the opening day starter for the Huskies at tailback.

At long-snapper, there's no question who the leader is and Jaden Green has become one of the best at his position in the country.

On the coverage teams, the guys talk about the man that Kim believes can be a special teams demon for the Huskies this fall as well as some of the other names who will be key factors in not allowing big returns to the opposing kick and punt returners.

DawgmanRadio: Reviewing The Secondary After Spring Football May 05, 2023

Show notes

Last season, the deep patrol suffered through one of the worst spate of injuries ever seen on Montlake. No fewer than seven players missed games due to injuries and the coaches duct taped and used chicken wire to put out a secondary with enough players.

There was even talk of moving players over from the offensive side of the ball to give the team enough bodies to cover the opposing offense.

Once the offseason hit, the Husky coaching staff went about finding more bodies to put into the depth and they came away from spring looking much better off than they were at this time last year.

Acquired through the portal from Oklahoma State, Jabarr Muhammad looks to have secured a spot in the starting lineup after showing "sticky" coverage skills. Joining him for much of the spring was Elijah Jackson, a player the coaches have raved about and went out of their way to mention when asked about who had a standout spring.

The move of Mishael Powell to 'Husky' appears to be a smart decision as he was outstanding in the spring. His move allowed Washington to push Dominique Hampton to safety and he and Asa Turner were the two running with the first team for much of camp.

Players the coaches really seemed to like and mentioned as taking the next step included S/Husky Tristan Dunn, CB Thaddeus Dixon, CB Jaivion Green and S Vincent Nunley, all of whom flashed some serious potential at times during the 15 practices.

While all of those players were discussed, the guys also talked about Dyson McCutcheon who ran with the second and third team at the 'Husky' spot while Makell Esteen had a solid spring at safety.

True freshmen Diesel Gordon and Caleb Presley looked lost a bit early, but as practices went along, they showed they belonged.

Lastly, they discussed the other incoming freshmen -- cornerbacks Leroy Bryant and Curley Reed and safety Vincent Holmes -- and how many prospects the coaches are looking to bring in during the 2024 recruiting cycle.

DawgmanRadio: Reviewing The Linebackers After Spring Football May 04, 2023

Show notes

A group that needed to take a step up following the 2022 football season was the linebackers. On Thursday, Eklund and Grinolds sat down and looked at a unit that has, essentially, four starters ready to take the field this fall, but only two will likely be on the field at once.

When the Huskies take the field on September 2nd against Boise State, unless there are some injuries, the expectation is that Alphonzo Tuputala and Edefuan Ulofoshio will be the starters at the MIK and WIL spots respectively, but backing them up will be Carson Bruener and Ralen Goforth, two players who lots of experience and plenty of starts under their belts.

Behind those four, the Huskies will feature a walk-on, Drew Fowler, and a true freshman, Deven Bryant, who showed why the coaches liked him so much during the spring.

One other scholarship player, true freshman Jordan Whitney, who, like Bryant, arrived in time to take part in spring football definitely showed some promise, but he wasn't able to see the field as much as linebackers coach William Inge said he's still progressing and learning the defense.

The guys also talked about the valuable walk ons on the roster.

Led by Austin Harnetiaux , the other walk-ons -- Styles Siva-Tu'u, Griffin Miller and Braydon Bruener -- are a solid group who the coaches feel can help during practice and on special teams. All four saw reps with the coverage teams during the spring and each was lauded by the coaches for their effort and commitment to the program.

DawgmanRadio: Reviewing The EDGEs After Spring Football May 03, 2023

Show notes

After an excellent season for the Husky EDGEs in 2022, when two players combined for 17.5 sacks, expectations are high as we head into the late spring and summer months.

The guys from Dawgman.com talked about the impact the group had on the Husky defense during the spring with Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui leading the way.

They also talked about the offseason signing of Zach Durfee, a Sioux Falls transfer, who flashed some serious potential during the 15 practices.

The Huskies have some nice depth, albeit relatively still inexperienced depth, that is led by Sekai Asoau-Afoa who is a versatile players who could play some on the inside as well as the outside.

Lance Holtzclaw and Maurice Heims are two scholarship prospects with a lot of promise, but the former was injured for much of the spring and the other got dinged up early, but returned and had some nice moments, although the coaches are still waiting for him to really break out.

A walk-on that has been making himself valuable to the group is Milton Hopkins. He won't blow you away with his size, but he's a hard worker and he understands the defense and his assignment and he always seems to be around the ball.

Anthony James is a true freshman who showed up early. One of the top EDGE prospects in the country when Washington flipped him from Texas A&M, he has the size and frame to become an absolute monster, but he needs to be locked away in the weight room for a year before he's ready to challenge for playing time.

The Huskies also have an impressive looking freshman, Jacob Lane, who has yet to arrive. Like his classmate, the Emerald Ridge prospect needs a year or two of seasoning before he'll be ready to make an impact, but the ceiling for him is high.

The guys wrap things up by talking about the 2024 EDGE board for the Huskies and which prospects they've honed in on.

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