U. of Washington football: Bellevue pair missing; Kirton moves to defense

Published 10:15 pm Tuesday, April 1, 2008

SEATTLE — The University of Washington football team’s pre-spring depth chart was available to the media a few minutes before coach Tyrone Willingham was, leading to a few raised eyebrows regarding a pair of missing names.

E.J. Savannah, a starting linebacker last season, and J.R. Hasty, who is expected to compete for playing time at tailback next season, were both on the spring roster, but were absent from the depth chart.

In typical fashion, Willingham gave only a vague answer for the missing Bellevue High School grads. He did say that as of now, the two will not be participating in spring practice when it starts Thursday.

“They’ve not lived up to all of the responsibilities of the football team,” Willingham said. “They are eligible and could be back at any time.”

The problem does not involve academics or legal issues, Willingham said, adding that the “the window is still open” for both to come back and participate in spring football.

The other interesting bit of news Tuesday was that Jackson High graduate Johnie Kirton is moving from tight end to defensive tackle. Kirton came to Washington as a running back before switching to tight end, but caught only two passes last season while splitting time with Robert Lewis and Michael Gottlieb.

Gottlieb is back, and the Huskies also expect redshirt freshman Chris Izbicki and freshman Kavario Middleton to battle for playing time in the fall. The defensive line, on the other hand, lost three of its four starters, giving the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Kirton a chance to break into the rotation.

“What we’re trying to do is find ways to strengthen our football team,” Willingham said. “Johnie is a young man that has some athletic ability, some explosion in his play. We’re trying to find ways to best service our football team, and at the same time hopefully best service Johnie so that he can go on and take the next step and play at the next level.”

Willingham said the decision to move Kirton to defense was a mutual one.

Defensive line coach Randy Hart said he doesn’t yet know what to expect from Kirton, but that he’s excited to see what the senior can offer.

Locker and baseball: Both Willingham and Locker were asked about his decision to play summer baseball for the Bellingham Bells. Neither seemed worried that the time Locker spends on baseball will affect his preparation for football season.

“It’s a limited role what I’m going to be doing,” said Locker, an All-State baseball player at Ferndale High School. “My commitment is still to football. Anytime we have any kind of football priorities or workouts, I’m going to be at those. And I’ll put the extra time that I need to to make myself the player that I need to be, and then if I have the opportunity to go up on the weekend and play a game or two, I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Willingham, himself a two-sport athlete in college, said the limited time Locker spends on baseball will not be an issue.

“I do know Jake is highly motivated to be a great football player, and therefore a majority of his time will be spent working on the game of football,” he said. “That’s why I have no concerns.”

Freshman starter? Chris Polk, who has yet to have participated in an official practice, is listed as the starting slotback on the depth chart. He and linebacker Kurt Mangum, both class of 2008 recruits, graduated early in order to come to Washington early and participate in spring football.

Old walk-on: One interesting walk-on to watch this spring is defensive back Tripper Johnson, a 2000 graduate of Bellevue’s Newport High School. Johnson, who turns 26 later this month, has been playing professional baseball since high school, but decided to go back to school and give football a try for the first time since his senior year at Newport.

Injuries: Left guard Ryan Tolar and free safety Jason Wells, both expected to be starters in the fall, will not practice during spring football while recovering from injuries. Tolar had shoulder surgery in the off season, and Wells had surgery to repair a torn ACL. Both are expected to be ready when practice starts in August.

Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog