The names have changed, but not the expectations.
When Washington’s defense sprints onto the Husky Stadium turf on Aug. 31, All-American linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven won’t be there. The same goes for All-American safety Taylor Rapp, All-American cornerback Byron Murphy, Morris Trophy winner Greg Gaines and senior leaders Jaylen Johnson, Shane Bowman, Tevis Bartlett, Jordan Miller and JoJo McIntosh.
But Jimmy Lake and Pete Kwiatkowski will still be standing on the sidelines.
So why shouldn’t the Huskies aim to lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense for the fifth consecutive season? After all, they return no shortage of available talent, even if much of it has yet to feel the searing heat associated with a starting spotlight.