Rather that wake up in a cold sweat screaming that Baylor had scored again, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian knew he had to overhaul his defensive staff.
And did he ever. Not long after the 67-56 loss to the Robert Griffin III-led Bears in the Alamo Bowl (with the Huskies defense yielding 777 yards of total offense), Sarkisian hired Justin Wilcox away from Tennessee to coordinate the Huskies’ defense.
Also brought in were defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi from Pac-12 rival California, linebackers coach Peter Sirmon from Tennessee and defensive backs coach Keith Heyward from Oregon State.
And to give Washington’s offense a fresh set of eyes, Sarkisian lured Eric Kiesau away from California to be offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Kiesau previously coached five seasons at Colorado under Dan Hawkins.
The newbies to the staff helped to “flip” several key recruits away from other schools in the conference before the February national signing day, particularly five-star defensive back Shaq Thompson, who had favored Cal.
It also primed Washington for the future, Sarkisian said during the recent Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles. He scoffed at any suggestion that the hirings, many raiding from other Pac-12 schools and all less than a month before national signing day, were unethical in any way.
“I think it’s the business,” Sarkisian said. “I think that the decisions we make as a program … have to do what’s in the best interest of the University of Washington, our athletic department and our program.
“When we made the decision to make changes on our defensive staff, we wanted to hire some of the best coaches in the country and some of the best recruiters in the country. I couldn’t be more impressed with them.”
Although Washington (7-6, 5-4 Pac-12 last season) must replace all-league running back Chris Polk (1,488 yards, 12 touchdowns), the Huskies are still relatively young. They are projected to start just four seniors.
Two sophomores, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (6-foot-6, 258 pounds) and wide receiver Kasen Williams (6-2, 216), have All-America potential.
As newcomers, Seferian-Jenkins caught 41 passes, Williams 36. And having junior quarterback Keith Price for two more years gives the Huskies a solid foundation from which to build.
In his first year as the starter, Price (6-1, 195) passed for 3,063 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions.
Price threw for more yards (438) than Griffin (295) in the Alamo Bowl shootout. But there is plenty of room for improvement, he said.
“I think the next step for me is recognizing defenses,” Price said, “and being able to change protections and getting ourselves into manageable plays without Coach Sark having to tell me to check (off).”
Defensively, Wilcox will use multiple looks, a departure from the usual 4-3 alignment. Look for some 3-4 sets to keep the opposing offenses guessing.
“I kinda like the ‘hybrid’ (description). It’s a hip term in the car industry,” Sarkisian said of the defense. “There will be times we will look like a 4-3 defense, and there will be moments where we look like we have a 3-4 defense in.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280, tkensler@denverpost.com or
Three keys for Washington
1. Doghouse. While Husky Stadium is being renovated, will Washington lose any of its usually significant home-field advantage? The Huskies will play home games this season at CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
2. What impact will four new defensive coaches have? Washington ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in total defense last year, allowing an average of 426.3 yards per game. Five defensive starters return.
3. Settling on a running back rotation. Chris Polk’s 2011 back-up, junior Jesse Callier, rushed just 47 times for 260 yards last season. Other candidates are sophomore Bishop Sankey (187 yards in 2011) and Antavius Sims, a junior college transfer.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
