SEATTLE – During Monday’s daily meeting with the media, Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham said that the status of junior college transfers Ashlee Palmer, Aaron Mason and Anthony Atkins was “pending.” Not particularly newsworthy, except that until then, Willingham had simply been stating that there was “no change” to their situation.
In a situation where information is at a minimum, any change in semantics like that is newsworthy. But Palmer, Mason and Atkins – who are all dealing with academic issues – were not at the afternoon practice Monday and Willingham said again after that practice that their status is “pending.”
Another player dealing with an academic situation was also in the news as Chancellor Young’s father Charle, a former Seahawk, told Seattle radio station KJR that Young needed simply to finish a paper to regain his eligibility, and Charle Young was optimistic that Chancellor would join the team this season.
That was opposite of what Willingham said a month ago in announcing that Young, J.R. Hasty, Charles Smith and Nathan Flowers were lost for the season due to academics. At the time, it was believed that Young, a wide receiver who transferred to Washington from Duke last season and starred at O’Dea High School, was no longer enrolled in school.
On Monday, Willingham said that Young’s situation was also “pending,” but confirmed that Young is enrolled in summer school.
Merrill leaves the team: Willingham said that freshman safety Jake Merrill has left the team due to personal reasons and does not expect him to return. Merrill was a first-team all-state pick out of Gig Harbor High School last season and was the Defensive MVP of the Narrows League. He was the No. 58-ranked safety in the nation by Scout.com and Rivals.com.
Wells and Wallace at safety: Willingham said junior college transfer Jason Wells is currently the starting free safety where he’ll team with strong safety C.J. Wallace. Wells, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from LaVerne, Calif., is ahead of Chris Hemphill and Mesphin Forrester on the depth chart, and has taken advantage of Palmer not being available.
Wells participated in spring drills and had three tackles and forced a fumble in the spring game. He had 18 tackles and two interceptions at Mt. San Antonio College last season.
Siskel and Willingham: Willingham used a movie analogy to describe what it’s like working with young men.
“It’s constant testing,” Willingham said. “I compare it to the movie Jurassic Park. The velociraptor is encaged. They had the electrical fence all around, but he kept testing it, testing it, testing it and he found the weak spot. That’s teenagers. They may know your limits, but they test things. That’s natural. That’s part of becoming an adult.”
Howell again: Willingham said that linebacker Dan Howell continues to win the gold jersey that comes with outstanding practices. Howell has won the jersey every time it’s been given out. Daniel Te’o-Nesheim also won one during Monday’s early practice.
White falling behind?: Willingham said the fact that Howell continues to win gold jerseys doesn’t mean senior Scott White is falling behind. White, who skipped a day of practice last week but who started every game last season, is behind Howell on the depth chart and has been out with a head injury. But Willingham said he thinks the fact that Howell continues to perform well will only drive White to raise his game.
“I don’t think that bothers Scott a bit,” Willingham said. “I don’t think Scott is afraid of somebody who has worn a gold jersey for a few days. He’s faced a few good football teams in his days and they had some pretty good players and he’s made some plays.”
Injury update: Besides White, defensive end Darrion Jones and offensive tackle Ben Ossai both have what Willingham described as “bumps on the head.” Freshman running back Matt Mosley also had a head injury but has returned. Defensive tackles Jordan Reffett (knee) and Erick Lobos (ankle/foot) are also out.
Fans like what they see: Willingham said he sensed that fans are feeling good about the direction of the program after interacting with them at Saturday’s Picture Day.
“They were very encouraging and seemed to have a great deal of excitement and anticipation about the season,” Willingham said. “The things they recognized about the program, they liked. They don’t get a chance to see practices but when they see things around the program, they see a lot of order, they see young people that are very respectful, and those are positive things in their eyes that they like.”
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