Plenty of jobs up for grabs in Huskies' fall camp

Despite being on the job for roughly eight months, new Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian has seen his players in live action on the field just 15 times — all during spring practice.

He'll get almost twice that many looks at them from today, when fall practice officially begins, until the season opener against Louisiana State on Sept. 5. Teams are allowed 29 practices before the first game.

That's one reason Sarkisian says he is keeping "an open mind" about his roster and who will start where, saying he needs to see everyone perform more. Another reason is that with a team coming off an 0-12 season and 14 straight losses overall, the Huskies are looking for upgrades in performance everywhere.

Still, some jobs are more open than others. Quarterback Jake Locker and defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim will unquestionably be the starters at their spots, barring injury, and all three of the linebacker spots also seem pretty set.

But at most of the rest, competition will be heavy during camp, which kicks off with a 3 p.m. practice at Husky Stadium.

Here's a look at the pre-camp depth chart, with a comment by position group:

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Jake Locker, Jr./Ronnie Fouch, So.

Comment: Locker's the established starter, and Fouch should be better for the experience he got last season. Washington has only three scholarship quarterbacks right now, with true freshman Keith Price now joining the team.

RUNNING BACK

Tailback: Chris Polk, Fr., or Willie Griffin, So./Demitrius Bronson, Fr.

Fullback: Paul Homer, Sr./Austin Sylvester, Jr.

Comment: Tailback figures to be one of the most competitive battles of fall camp, though it's possible there could be a by-committee approach with several players in a regular rotation. The move of Johri Fogerson to tailback adds depth there, with Curtis Shaw also in the mix. A healthy Homer could give UW one of the better fullback positions in the Pac-10.

WIDE RECEIVER

Starters: D'Andre Goodwin, Jr., Jermaine Kearse, So., Devin Aguilar, So.

Backups: Jordan Polk, So., Anthony Boyles, Fr., Cody Bruns, So.

Comment: Being in the rotation at the spot is just as important as the starting designation. Huskies coaches say all six listed should see ample playing time. Goodwin is the most established after catching 60 passes last season. True freshman James Johnson also may work his way into the rotation.

TIGHT END

Chris Izbicki, So./Kavario Middleton, So.

Comment: Izbicki was one of the stars of spring football and officially has the No. 1 spot right now. But the Huskies may use the tight end a lot more than in past years, so both Izbicki and Middleton figure to see a lot of playing time this season no matter who starts. JC transfer Dorson Boyce also could contend for playing time.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Left tackle: Cody Habben, Jr./Mark Armelin, So.

Left guard: Ben Ossai, Sr., or Ryan Tolar, Jr.

Center: Ryan Tolar, Jr., or Mykenna Ikehara, Fr.

Right guard: Senio Kelemete, So./Morgan Rosborough, Sr.

Right tackle: Drew Schaefer, Fr./Skyler Fancher, So.

Comment: The five starters and Ikehara seem pretty set in the rotation, though roles are still being sorted out. The coaches say they will experiment early in camp to find the best starting five. But they also want to find another player or two they feel comfortable putting on the field to make for a deeper rotation, with Fancher and Rosborough the most likely candidates. Habben, Ossai and Tolar, if they remain in their current spots, give UW an experienced left side of the line. But neither of the players on the right has ever played a game on the line in college.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

End: Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Sr./Everrette Thompson, So.

Tackle: Alameda Ta'amu, So./Tyrone Duncan, So.

Tackle: Cameron Elisara, Jr./De'Shon Matthews, Jr.

End: Darrion Jones, Sr./Kalani Aldrich, So.

Comment: Te'o-Nesheim is established at one end, and he could play a little tackle. But the other three spots are more competitive. This is another area where the real key is establishing enough depth to create a deep rotation to keep players as fresh as possible during the season. Every starter listed started at least five games last season, making this a more experienced group than a year ago.

LINEBACKERS

Weak-side: E.J. Savannah, Sr./Joshua Gage, Sr.

Middle: Donald Butler, Sr./Trenton Tuiasosopo, Sr.

Strong-side: Mason Foster, Jr./Fred Wiggs, Jr.

Comment: This may be the best overall unit on the team with the return of Savannah, the leading tackler in 2007, joining Foster, the leading tackler last year, and Butler, who has 15 starts the last two seasons. The starting spots aren't likely to change heading into the season, but the Huskies will need to develop some depth during camp. Tuiasosopo, who got a sixth year of eligibility, offers an experienced backup in the middle.

SECONDARY

Cornerback: Justin Glenn, Fr., or Matt Mosley, Jr., or Anthony Gobern, Fr., or Vonzell McDowell, Jr.

Cornerback: Quinton Richardson, So./Adam Long, Fr.

Strong safety: Nate Williams, Jr./Victor Aiyewa, Jr.

Free safety: Greg Walker, Fr./Alvin Logan, So.

Comment: One of the most uncertain areas heading into camp. Richardson and Williams seem pretty set as starters, but the other two spots are completely up for grabs. JC transfer David Batts will likely figure heavily into the competition at safety, starting out at strong safety, though some shuffling could occur there depending on who emerges as the best players.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Plackicker: Erik Folk, So./Eric Guttorp, So.

Punter: Will Mahan, Jr./Kiel Rasp, So.

Snapper: Danny Morovick, Sr.

Holder: Ronnie Fouch, So.

Kickoff returner: Jordan Polk, So., and Quinton Richardson, So.

Punt returner: Devin Aguilar, So./Cody Bruns, So.

Comment: Mahan, a JC transfer, is likely to take over punting duties. Folk had an erratic spring and needs to show more accuracy to keep his job. The return spots seem far from settled. Coaches say one of the biggest objectives of camp is strengthening the coverage and return units, with lots of newcomers being given long looks to carve out roles.