Huskies Hold 6th Spring Practice in Front of Top Offensive Line Targets

Such is the way of college football these days, Marcus Bryant treated Husky Stadium like a car dealership.

On Saturday, the former SMU offensive tackle now in the transfer portal -- hard to miss with his massive 6-foot-8, 318-pound frame -- looked under the hood of the University of Washington football team while seeking a new college ride. He kicked the tires of the offensive line. He basically took it for a test drive.

He had a salesman, make that Husky staffer, doing his best to keep up with Bryant wherever he went on a sunny yet chilly afternoon in Montlake.

Midway through the three-hour spring practice, Bryant was escorted to the middle of the field to watch the UW O- line from behind and up close as it came out of a stance during assorted scrimmage plays.

By the end of the workout, the sixth for Jedd Fisch's football team, Bryant and a person accompanying him sat sprawled in chairs set up at the 25-yard line, watching as UW players finished up by running wind sprints sideline to sideline.

As Fisch addressed his team, Bryant was summoned onto the field again. The hard sell from Fisch likely was coming next likely over a facilities tour, a meal, maybe a name, image and likeness negotiation, or even all of the above.

The Huskies are in serious need of some veteran offensive-line help for the coming season and Bryant, from Round Rock, Texas, which is north of Austin, is a top target. He appeared in 42 SMU games ands started 29. Again, he's huge.

The UW also hosted offensive tackle John Mills, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound high school recruit from St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco. He holds a dozen and a half offers, with Florida, Texas, USC, California, Nebraska and the Huskies his most ardent pursuers.

While those manpower courtships played out, the Huskies got in another day of work, though the wear and tear of a half-dozen practices began to show with roughly a dozen players held out of this session in some manner, either in uniform or out. No player had a more painful day than edge rusher Zach Durfee, who twice came off the field in agony and left practice early, with no indication whether he was seriously injured or not.

Mississippi State transfer quarterback Will Rogers continued to look for sophomore wide receiver Denzel Boston whenever he could, with this passing combination hooking up for a 10-yard touchdown pass on a slant over the middle on the first scrimmage play of the day.

While the practice was loud and lively throughout, the biggest team ovations came on consecutive Demond Williams Jr. passes for scores that brought a sensational diving catch in the end zone by California wide receiver transfer Jeremiah Hunter, followed by a difficult back end-line reception by senior walk-on Owen Coutts, a newly converted tight end from wideout. Each grab led to hordes of offensive players spilling onto the field and yelling wildly, not to mention pounding each player on the back or on the helmet.

Jordan Shaw, the Indiana transfer and now working as a nickelback, intercepted a Rogers pass and fell down. Yet Shaw wasn't done in his mind. He leapt to his feet and ran 80 yards to the end zone, escorted by a couple of teammates.

At the end, the Huskies' Grady Gross was entrusted with kicking a couple of field goals, with the result determining how much running players would do to finish up. A mischievous Fisch called timeout right before one snap. With Gross lining up another kick, the rest of the defense, encouraged by its head coach, marched onto the field in formation, chanting and waving their arms. Gross' kick was short. The offense ran.

As the players left the field, former Husky offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten got loose as he presumably prepared for a private NFL workout. San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch just so happened to be in the stadium while watching practice.

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