Brock Huard’s five takeaways on the 14th-ranked Husky football team
Aug 23, 2016, 10:22 AM | Updated: 12:30 pm
(AP)
The Associated Press released its preseason college football poll Sunday and the University of Washington checked in at No. 14, the team’s highest ranking since 2002.
710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard, a former Huskies quarterback, watched all of UW’s practices over the weekend. Here were his top five takeaways:
1. John Ross III may be the fastest Husky ever. Like the Seahawks, the UW football team outfits players with GPS units that measure and track their velocity. Huard said that in one scrimmage, Ross broke a tackle and reached nearly 22 mph in full pads. For comparison’s sake, sprinter Usain Bolt – the fastest man alive – runs 27.8 mph. Ross, a redshirt junior wide receiver who missed all of the 2015 season with a knee injury, has been clocked in the low 4.2-range in the 40-yard dash, according to Huard. He said Ross would compare favorably in a race with former Husky speedsters Hugh McElhenny, Napoleon Kaufman and Ja’Warren Hooker. “He just may be the fastest Husky to ever play. As fast as Tyler Lockett is. You forget about what John Ross did as a true freshman with kickoff opportunities. … He is freaky, freaky fast and going to be awfully fun to watch.”
2. UW’s O-line is much better on the outside than in the interior. Huard believes sophomore Trey Adams is going to be an NFL left tackle and that, if he continues to progress, he will be a top-10 pick. Sophomore right tackle Kaleb McGary is also upwards of 6-foot-7 to form a dominating young pair of blockers. “You have two monsters out there, but their interior is a little soft. Their guard and center is going to be a little bit makeshift. That’s why you’re going to see so much on the perimeter – getting the ball out of Jake Browning’s hands with screens, get Myles Gaskin on the edge (with) fly sweeps to try and offset some of the challenges they have on the interior.”
3. The Huskies are loaded at DT. Huard said UW’s second-best position group is defensive tackle, behind only its terrific secondary. “They’ve got three D-tackles that would start on any of these Pac-12 teams. They are absolutely loaded in the middle, which is really presenting a challenge for their centers and guards in practice.”
4. What Jake Browning does best. Huard remembers Marques Tuiasosopo as a William Wallace-esque leader under center. Jake Locker was the most gifted player out of high school. Isaiah Stanback could throw a football 80 yards. Browning, meanwhile, is as unassuming as he is consistent – traits Huard appreciates. “He is as Plain Jane as they come. He doesn’t run real well, doesn’t have a super powerful arm or build. From a baseball perspective, I don’t think he has a tool; he’s not a toolsy guy. But … the two single most important attributes of quarterbacking, decision-making and accuracy, are off the charts.”
5. Myles Gaskin’s upside. After eight 100-yard rushing performances from Gaskin during his freshman year, Huard sees more lofty numbers in his future – so long as the 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back can stay healthy. Huard said Gaskin reminds him of a mixture of Warrick Dunn and Marshawn Lynch. “He runs with that same kind of staggered, lateral power. He’s nowhere near Marshawn’s power, don’t get me wrong. But the way he goes about it is between those two – the quickness and darts of Dunn and some of that same lateral power of Marshawn. He’s pretty special.”