Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

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DawgmanRadio: Recapping a busy Day One of UW Fall Camp Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

It wasn't exactly clear skies and 90 degrees in Seattle today, but the heat was sufficiently turned on at Husky Stadium, where the Washington football team gathered for their first practice of fall camp.

The first practice is always the one that will generate the most hot takes and overreactions, and this year was no different. The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, Scott Eklund, and new intern Josh Wodka - put all their thoughts out there after watching the Huskies run around for a couple of hours and hearing UW Head Coach Kalen DeBoer break down the day and also take questions from the media.

Of course the discussion started around the quarterbacks and the battle between Michael Penix, Jr., Dylan Morris, and Sam Huard. At least one of the Dawgman guys thinks the job is already Penix's to lose, but will he stay around longer than a year if he gets done what he came to Seattle to do?

The talk then moved to two of the more interesting players out there on the offensive side of the ball, starting with receiver Giles Jackson. Jackson and Morris had some telepathy going on the field, as the former Michigan transfer was catching passes all over the field.

And the offensive coaches wasted no time in trying to get the new running backs up to speed. Wayne Taulapapa was the first running back out there, followed closely by Will Nixon. Nixon is listed as a running back/receiver on the official roster, but he played just running back today and looked the part.

After a quick break, the talk turned to the offensive line, and there was plenty to talk about with that group. Jaxson Kirkland is the biggest storyline, literally, while Roger Rosengarten got all the first-team reps at right tackle. Victor Curne has moved back out to right tackle, while Matteo Mele was the player getting reps behind center Corey Luciano, and Geirean Hatchett was back at right guard behind Henry Bainivalu.

So how much of that movement on the right side of the line was due to an improvement in Bainivalu's health? How much of it was recognizing Curne should be back outside? How much of it was determining Rosengarten was the one that really won the right tackle job out of spring instead of Mele?

As I said, it's easy to jump to conclusions and overreact after Day One, but a lot of questions still need to get answered when it comes to Washington's offensive line.

Switching lines, we talk about Ulumoo Ale's day, and not just inside at defensive tackle. He's also being used as the main guard in the shield on punt coverage, which is interesting. Before hitting another quick break, the guys talk about what they saw with the EDGE players and defensive backs, and whether or not they think ...

DawgmanRadio: Pac-12 Media Day Redux/Gearing Up for Fall Camp Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - catch up after their summer breaks to recap all the UW-related comings and goings this past week. And there was a lot to talk about.

Kim traveled to Los Angeles last week for Pac-12 Media Day, and he opined on George Kliavkoff's comments toward the Big-12 and expansion. And just how tenuous is UCLA's move to the Big Ten? Could the UC system throw a wrench in the works? Just follow the money.

After a quick break, we talk more about Pac-12 Media Day, namely Kliavkoff's thoughts about NIL, pay-for-play, and what that means for the student-athletes participating in the non-revenue sports. We talk for a bit about UW's NIL program, namely the recent Dawg Derby.

After another break to play some bills, we talk about our own summers and what we did before getting geared up for fall camp, and then went down the schedule for the next few weeks. The media get six open practices and that's it.

We wrap things up with a recruiting update from Scott, including his take on Washington's newest commit, Kahlee Tafai, what that means for the offensive line moving forward, and the odds on picking up a commitment this week from Texas DB Jordan Sanford, who tweeted two weeks ago that he was going to announce his school choice this coming Thursday.

Scott also gives the latest update on UW WR commit Keith Reynolds, who unofficially visited Oregon and Oregon State this past weekend with his high school teammates. Is he putting his position as a committed player in jeopardy by taking this visits?

Kalen DeBoer's full Pac-12 Media Q&A Jul 31, 2022

Show notes

The full Q&A session between the media and first-year Washington Head Coach Kalen DeBoer during Pac-12 Media Day on Friday, July 29.

DawgmanRadio: Update On Midwest Recruiting With 247's Allen Trieu Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

We're currently in the early stages of the summer 'dead period' on the recruiting trail. Coaches and recruits are on vacations for the next few weeks, so there isn't a lot of new news coming out on the recruiting front. However, with Washington's new focus on the midwest, we thought it was a good chance for us to catch up on things with 247 Midwest Recruiting Analyst Allen Trieu.

We rolled through several things during our chat, including how he eventually became a recruiting expert, his thoughts on current Husky freshmen Armon Parker and Jayvon Parker as well as recent commit Lincoln Kienholz, a quarterback from South Dakota, who some thought had enough athleticism to become a safety at the next level.

Trieu also shared his thoughts on two more targets in his region -- Minnesota DL Elinneus Davis and Nebraska wideout Beni Ngoyi -- and where he thinks they wind up. Could both become Huskies before the start of their senior seasons?

DawgmanRadio: Picking apart the UCLA/USC/Big Ten deal, plus a huge recruiting update Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - had a ton to talk about, especially after Washington's joint statement Friday morning about UCLA and USC defecting to the Big Ten. Will Washington get a chance to bolt too? Can they do it with or without Oregon?

In the first part of the nearly hour-long podcast, they talk about the ramifications of losing the LA schools and what could happen in the near term for Washington athletics.

After a break to pay some bills, they jump right into the more positive news; Washington's recent football recruiting. The Huskies picked up a verbal commitment from Fairfield (Calif.) Rodriguez cornerback Leroy Bryant Friday afternoon, the 16th public verbal commit for the 2023 recruiting class.

They also talk about the last two offensive line commits in Menlo-Atherton's Soane Faasolo and Ferndale's Landen Hatchett. Faasolo, at 6-foot-9, represents Washington's desire to get longer with their offensive linemen. The guys also talk about Hatchett, a UW legacy (his brother Geirean is a current Husky OL) and his comparison to another local offensive lineman in Micah Banuelos, and the plan laid out by the UW coaches that eventually turned the tide for Hatchett.

After another quick break, the podcast finishes with arguably the most important recent commitment for UW, and that's quarterback Lincoln Kienholz from Pierre, SD. What are his strengths and what are the Huskies getting with Kienholz? How does he differ from Avery Johnson, the other 2023 quarterback prospect looking heavily at UW before Kienholz's public commitment?

The guys wrap up the podcast with their final recruiting thoughts as we move into July. That's normally the month the coaches take time away from Montlake to go on holiday and spend time with their families before fall camp begins in August. But could UW fans see some more verbal commitments take place before the coaches leave town?

And finally, we have another promotion that we think you will love: TWO MONTHS for just ONE DOLLAR. Think about it; for only one buck, you will get access to everything we do all the way through fall camp. How can you not want to take advantage of such a screaming deal! You can check that all out HERE.

DawgmanRadio: Catching up with football, basketball, and recruiting updates Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - caught up to talk about the major talking points of the day with regard to Washington Football, Men's Basketball, and recruiting. And there was a lot to talk about.

To start with, they spoke on the three players that have just left the program - Jordan Lolohea, Draco Bynum, and Emeka Megwa - and that talk turned to a conversation that revolved around a revamped running backs room and what should UW fans expect from that position?

After a quick break, the guys talked about Jaxson Kirkland's waiver to come back and play his last season at UW accepted by the NCAA, and how will that move will impact the Washington offensive line in the fall. And could the line look different depending on if the Huskies use a right-handed quarterback or a left-handed quarterback?

And could the receivers group actually end up becoming the group that gets highlighted and produces the most out of all the offensive positions?

Talk turned to men's basketball, specifically the recruitment of Kentucky transfer Keion Brooks and what UW fans should expect from Isaiah Stewart's former prep teammate at La Lumiere. If you want a more in-depth conversation surrounding the remaking of Washington's roster ahead of the 2022-23 season, Fetters spoke with Head of Hoops Aaron Beach to get his thoughts and they do a deep dive here.

And finally, Kim and Scott go deep into Washington's recruiting schedule for the month of June, starting with this weekend's slate of camps and UW's 7-on-7 tournament, which takes place on Sunday. The new coaching staff is going to be hosting a ton of local camp participants, as well as official visitors from all over the country, culminating in the final week in June when nearly 20 official visitors are expected to show up at Montlake.

DawgmanRadio: What to make of Washington's new-look hoops roster Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Head of Hoops Aaron Beach - got together this weekend to sort through everything having to do with UW Basketball at the moment now that the Huskies have seemingly finalized their roster heading into the 2022-23 season. There were seven outgoing players, and they just signed their seventh incoming player this past week.

In part one of the podcast, Fetters and Beach talk about Washington's ability to keep up with the Joneses and adapt to this new world of the transfer portal and if Mike Hopkins and his staff have been able to build something that has staying power, while at the same time addressing the multiple short-term needs that almost always come along with Division-1 basketball nowadays.

They also talk about Washington's latest signing, former Kentucky forward Keion Brooks, his strengths, and how he should fit in with the Hoop Dawgs on both ends of the floor.

After a quick break to pay some bills, the guys are back at it to talk about the other players that have been added from the portal to fill needs and fit holes left by departing players. In total, does Beach feel like the inclusion of other portal players, like Noah Williams, Franck Kepnang, and Braxton Meah, will add with Keion Brooks to form a stronger nucleus than what they had last season? Are they a better fit going forward on offense and defense? And could the freshmen - Koren Johnson, Keyon Menifield, and Tyler Linhardt - make an impact or shore up the depth this year?

And finally, Fetters gets Beach to name his starting five heading into the season and if there could be any surprises to the lineup with the new and existing players at Hop's disposal.

DawgmanRadio: Wrapping up Spring Football Apr 30, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - met up in the tunnel at Husky Stadium to give their initial impressions of Washington's fifteenth - and final - practice of spring football, held Saturday afternoon. Early rain gave way to sunny skies, as the Huskies were able to go through a 70-80 play 'scrimmage' with scoring rules to simulate as much of a game environment as they could.

A Michael Penix, Jr. pass to Rome Odunze proved to the be the difference in the 'game' as the offense came back on the final series to beat the defense. Grinolds, Fetters, and Eklund went through each position group, starting with the quarterbacks, and gave not just their impressions from the day, but also overall how they looked, what went right, what went wrong, and a quick look ahead toward the fall.

After doing that for the offense, they did the same for the defensive side of the ball after a quick break. Mishael Powell and Alex Cook were the two defensive players that came up with interceptions during the scrimmage. They broke down who they felt stepped up Saturday, as well as throughout spring. There were some veteran named that popped up, but also a few that definitely surprised over the course of April.

There was also plenty going on with recruiting during the spring preview, and the guys touched on some of the main names that were seen at Husky Stadium.

To wrap up, each gave their closing thoughts on the day, including who really stood out with their performances and what can Washington fans expect from the offense, defense, and special teams as they head into the fall?

DawgmanRadio: Lots going on ahead of UW's Spring Preview Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - were on campus for Washington's final practice ahead of their Saturday Spring Preview, and there really wasn't much to talk about with regard to the practice itself as the team was in shells and shorts and focusing mainly on special teams.

But there is still a ton to talk about, and the guys started the first segment of the podcast going over some of the things they talked about with the coaches and players they met up with after practice. It was the offensive coaches and players available to the media today, so we spoke with Ryan Grubb, Scott Huff, Michael Penix, Jr., Sam Huard, and Henry Bainivalu about spring, the NFL Draft, the QB competition, and Bainivalu's brush with a recent accident involving a Seattle Sounders beat writer that saw the UW right guard help nab a hit-and-run suspect and get some Champions League final tickets in return. And then there's talk of 'Fumble Island'. What the hell is Fumble Island? We explain.

After a minute to pay some bills, the guys come back with a lot more draft talk. Is Trent McDuffie the only surefire first-round Dawg taken tonight? Is there a chance Kyler Gordon could join him?

Then we finish the podcast off talking about the transfer portal, how busy it could be in the coming days because of the May 1 deadline, and whether or not we believe in the 'mass exodus' talk being thrown around other Pac-12 message boards.

Lastly, it's all about UW Hoops. The Wednesday signing of former Oregon center Franck Kepnang means the coaches are one piece closer to getting their roster balanced for the 2022-23 season. But what about Emmitt Matthews, Jr.? What about the other pieces that need to come together? Kim and Chris discuss those things and more.

DawgmanRadio: Day 13 brings in the final week of spring football Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The transfer portal has become an ever-present fact of life when it comes to college sports; even when you think things are settled down and everyone has found their place, it can all change in an instant. That's just the way things are nowadays.

So it wasn't that unusual to see former walk-on players Kasen Kinchen and Meki Pei decide to move on in the hopes they can earn a scholarship somewhere else. That makes sense. But when a basketball player like Emmitt Matthews, Jr. makes a move into the portal like he did yesterday, those are decisions that seemingly come out of the blue.

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - delve into a lot of the portal talk in the second half of Tuesday's post-practice podcast.

To start with, they talk about Day 13's full-pads practice, the last one they'll be having before Saturday's Spring Preview at Husky Stadium. They talk about the players they saw mixed in with the ones and twos during the team session the media was able to see on Tuesday.

After a quick break, it's all about the portal and how things should really heat up around Montlake because the deadline to put your name in the portal if you plan on playing this fall is this Sunday. That means any Washington players that want to put their names in after the spring preview will have roughly 24 hours to do so. Is that enough time to come to a big decision like that? And how behind the 8-ball does that put the northern schools and the ones that push back their springs because of weather and the like?

Both Chris and Scott talk about what they expect to see from the portal this week, and how it could just a couple of names, or how it could be a lot more than that, depending on the conversations the players are having with the coaches, their families, and their own support staff.

This is just a reality of the portal, and the players can take their names out of the portal just as quickly as they put their names in, so good luck trying to make heads or tails of it moving forward.

The guys also talk about some of the post-practice interviews they were able to conduct, namely Scott's question to co-DC Chuck Morrell about how far along he feels the defense is at this point. Morrell also names some names when it comes to players that have pleasantly surprised him and have gotten more turns than he was initially expecting to see.

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