Champ Gets Chance to Go a Few Rounds in UW Practice No. 3

Spring practice No. 3 for the University of Washington football team was extra busy, with high school coaches and recruits filling up both sidelines on a comfortable but cloudy Saturday at Husky Stadium.

The players seemed to like the additional eyes on them as they put on the pads for the first time and were a little more animated and vocal.

Husky coach Jedd Fisch was his usual social self, seen hugging the mother of incoming Husky freshman offensive lineman Lowen Coleman-Brusa and 2026 edge rusher target Derek Coleman-Brusa, both of whom are from Seattle's Kennedy Catholic High School and were in attendance.

Meanwhile, the Huskies continue to audition players for more prominent roles, which is what spring football is all about.

Observation No. 1: Freshman Champ Taulealea received his initial opportunity to run with the No. 1 offense at right guard, becoming the third different player in three practices to step into that role and pull the majority of snaps.

Sophomore Zach Henning had his chance to take first-unit reps in the first practice while senior Geirean Hatchett handled the position much of the second workout.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Taulelea from Milipitas, California, made the Husky O-line look a lot bigger if not more menacing.

He had a long black ponytail flowing out of the back of his helmet and covering part of his purple jersey numbers -- 73. He seemed to move well in coming out of a stance and getting up on someone five yards away.

Tauleala is this year's Paki Finau, who was a highly touted freshman in 2024, played some, put on 40 pounds and has developed into the left starting guard so far. This guy, however, doesn't need any more weight.

Observation No. 2: Hayden Moore, who holds the unusual distinction of being in uniform for the 2024 CFP national championship team yet for Michigan, is a sophomore inside linebacker who spent all of this practice as a second-unit edge rusher.

"He's bouncing back and forth between that outside backer and inside backer position," defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. "He's long and gives us a little bit of versatility. He's doing a good job of learning both."

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Moore, who hails from Parker, Colorado, still looks sort of slender compared to the others playing on the edge but he moves well.

Moore was with Michigan in 2023, but didn't appear in any games and redshirted. Sixteen months ago, he dressed for the title game against Washington in Houston.

Observation No. 3: Western Michigan transfer Anterio Thompson had the big hit of the day, coming up the middle to spill Jordan Washington in a violent manner -- knocking the redshirt freshman running back a couple of yards backward and drawing howls from his teammates.

The 6-foot-4, 306-pound Thompson, who played in a reserve role at Iowa before becoming a full-time starter at his MAC school, has been impressive since comng to the UW, whether at practice or squatting 650 pounds in the weight room.

"He definitely a mature young man and recognizes the opportunity he has -- he's acting accordingly," Walters said. "So that's been good for us. The explosion and power and agility that you see in him running around cones and lifting weights in the weight room is translating to the field."

Observation No. 4: Redshirt freshman cornerback Rashawn Clark made himself noticeable to everyone in the stadium by intercepting a Demond Williams Jr. pass in a drill, yelling while running up the sideline for some 30 yards and spiking the ball so hard it bounced 30 feet high in the air.

He didn't settle down until heading for the sideline and walking around. Then he intercepted another pass later in the practice.

Observation No. 5: Sophomore cornerback Caleb Presley probably pulled more meaningful snaps in practice on Saturday than he has in any workout in his three seasons at the UW, even trotting out with the No. 1 defense.

Once a highly regarded 4-star recruit from Seattle's Rainier Beach High School, he hasn't played in a Husky game yet, so he's likely faced with making inroads or moving on.

Observation No. 6: Linebacker Xe'ree Alexander, the UCF transfer yet a local kid, and offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett, the Oklahoma transfer and second-time Husky, didn't practice, with no explanation given.