Analysis: In the wake of Trent McDuffie’s Super Bowl win, where do UW’s defensive backs go from here?

The Super Bowl started with a reminder of what UW’s defensive backs can be.

On the first play from scrimmage, Trent McDuffie — who, after three seasons in Seattle, was selected by the Chiefs with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft — crowded the line of scrimmage, then bailed into coverage after the snap. As Eagles tailback Miles Sanders took a hand off around the right edge, McDuffie evaded Quez Watkins’ block and decisively descended on the stalling Sanders. The 5-foot-11, 193-pound rookie beelined 14 yards before barreling through the 211-pound tailback, sending the football spraying along the sideline.

This free commercial for Husky football was viewed by 113 million people.

And, in the last eight years at Washington, McDuffie effectively maintained the trend — as 11 UW DBs (and Jimmy Lake pupils) were drafted from 2015 to 2022. There were enough names — Budda Baker and Kevin King and Sidney Jones and Taylor Rapp and Byron Murphy and Elijah Molden, and on and on and on — for a run-on sentence in the secondary. It was a repopulating pattern of purple and gold.

And in his debut season in Kansas City, McDuffie contributed 44 tackles with seven passes defended, a sack and a forced fumble in 11 games — before adding five more tackles and a forced fumble in the 38-35 Super Bowl win over Philadelphia. Fellow rookie corner Kyler Gordon (a second-round pick by Chicago) also excelled, contributing 55 tackles with six passes defended, three interceptions and a forced fumble in 14 games.

But has UW’s defensive back pipeline finally burst?

After Lake (who was reportedly hired by the Rams this week) was fired and replaced by Kalen DeBoer last offseason, the Huskies surged to an 11-2 season … but their secondary play simultaneously suffered. UW ranked 100^th nationally in passing defense (251.5 yards per game), 100^th in opponent completion percentage (62.9%), 101^st in interceptions (7), 103^rd in opponent yards per pass attempt (7.8), 111^th in opponent pass efficiency rating (145.8), 114^th in opponent pass touchdowns (26), 117^th in third down defense (44.51% conversions) and 129^th in passes defended per game (2.54).

(There are 130 FBS teams nationally, for cringe-worthy context.)

Of course, there are ample excuses — the most legitimate being an avalanche of injuries. Vince Nunley missed the season. Julius Irvin missed seven games. Elijah Jackson missed six. Mishael Powell and Davon Banks missed four. Asa Turner and Jordan Perryman missed three. Dominique Hampton missed one.

You get the point.

“Listen, it happens, and everyone has been through [injury issues] in their career,” UW co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Morrell said prior to the 27-20 Alamo Bowl win over Texas. “But for me, in 25 years [in coaching], I’ve never seen anything hit an entire position group like it hit our position group. It just challenged us. I’ll be honest: it made us better coaches, because we knew that we had to find different mechanics and different ways to have guys be successful and hold it together.

“The challenges were immense, there’s no doubt about it. The challenges were extreme. But it also strengthens your team. It pulls guys together. There’s two things that can happen: it can pull you apart, or it can pull you together.”

From a wins standpoint, the Huskies survived — with the exceptions being title-tarnishing losses at UCLA and Arizona State.

But can UW’s secondary repair its reputation?

Without a pair of departed starters in safety Alex Cook and cornerback Jordan Perryman, there’s work to be done at Washington.  

There are also arriving reinforcements.

The most significant addition is junior cornerback Jabbar Muhammad — an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection at Oklahoma State last fall — who led the Cowboys with 10 pass breakups and added 48 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in 12 starts (10 at corner, two at safety) in 2022. The 5-10, 180-pound Muhammad — who has notched 72 tackles with 13 passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss in three seasons and 31 career games — is expected to immediately step into a starting cornerback spot.

The other answers are not so easy.

For Morrell and cornerbacks coach Juice Brown, maximizing their players’ skill sets may mean shifting positions. Two returning starters are expected to do just that this spring, according to a source — as junior Mishael Powell slides from corner to the “husky” hybrid nickel spot and senior “husky” Dominique Hampton bounces back to strong safety.

Hampton — who made 30 tackles with two passes defended and a forced fumble in 11 games and three starts at safety in 2021 — was intended to operate as a play-making blitzer and run-stopper last fall, but extensive injuries forced him into more consistent 1-on-1 coverage responsibilities. The 6-3, 221-pounder has bounced between corner, safety and “husky” in five unsatisfying seasons in Seattle, without successfully finding a permanent home.

At safety, Hampton will likely play beside fellow senior Asa Turner — who contributed 52 tackles and two interceptions in 10 games and nine starts last fall. Sophomores Vince Nunley and Makell Esteen, redshirt freshman Tristan Dunn and true freshmen Vincent Holmes and Diesel Gordon will compete for rotational reps as well.

Which leaves a likely void alongside Muhammad at cornerback — though there are no shortage of eligible options. Senior Julius Irvin, sophomores Elijah Jackson, Davon Banks and Jaivion Green, junior college freshman transfer Thaddeus Dixon and true freshmen Caleb Presley, Curley Reed and Leroy Bryant will all attempt to separate themselves.

Of that group, keep an eye out for Irvin, who made an impressive transition from safety to cornerback before missing the final seven games last season with an injury. Morrell noted in late December that “I’d be super excited to get him back playing for us, because he showed us some really strong flashes at the outset.”

Personnel aside, it’s worth wondering whether Washington’s defensive backs are being positioned to succeed at the same rate as their predecessors. It’s Morrell and co-defensive coordinator William Inge’s philosophy to prioritize rushing the passer and stuffing the run … which often leaves UW’s DBs vulnerable in man-to-man coverage.

Where Lake’s defenses were designed to limit big plays, the Huskies’ current success hinges on causing havoc … sometimes at the expense of its secondary.

Of course, finding another McDuffie or Gordon or Budda Baker would certainly help mitigate that risk.

If only it was all that easy.

UW sets spring practice dates

UW announced the dates for its 15 spring practices this week, with pro day set for March 29 and the Spring Preview to follow at 1 p.m. on April 22. The Huskies will hold their first three practices on March 6, 8 and 10, before pausing for finals and spring break. Practices will continue on March 29 and be spread throughout the next three and a half weeks.