Washington Huskies spring football preview: Defensive line

Washington will open spring football on April 3 and the month will culminate in the 2019 Fan Fest and Spring Preview on April 27.

To get you ready, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Huskies heading into spring camp. Next up: The defensive line. This is another position group where UW will be dealing with turnover but also has plenty of talent.

Who’s missing?

Greg Gaines, who was the winner of the 2018 Morris Trophy as the top defensive lineman in the Pac-12. He started all 14 games and was a 2019 All-Pac-12 first team selection. Gaines started every game of his last three seasons at UW.

Jaylen Johnson and Shane Bowman are also gone. Johnson played in 13 games last season, starting 12. Bowman played in eight games and started six, including the first four games of the season before suffering an ankle injury.

Familiar faces

Junior Levi Onwuzurike earned recognition from his teammates and coaches for his development and performance last season. He played in all 14 games, starting six, and was named to the Academic All-Pac-12 first team. He had a 9-yard sack against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Benning Potoa’e has moved from linebacker to the defensive line for his senior season. He played in all 14 games for the Huskies last season, starting 14. Seniors Josiah Bronson and John Clark also have experience. Bronson played in 12 of 14 games last season while Clark played in nine games.

Keep an eye on

Redshirt freshmen Tuli Letuligasenoa and Sam Taimani. With so much turnover on the defensive line, both will have an opportunity to make an impact.

Letuligasenoa, a four-star defensive tackle, played in two games last season. He was considered by 247Sports.com to be the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 13 player in California in his class. Sam Taimani played in one game as a true freshman. Also a four-star defensive tackle, he was ranked as the No. 4 player in Utah.

This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Washington Huskies spring football preview: Defensive line."