Midweek Debate: Safety

When the offseason began it didn't seem that Justin Glenn's safety position would be as big a question mark to fill as it has become. It being a position that has had so many players rotate in and out under the Sarkisian regime, it just appeared as if the team would plug and play there with a couple of the experienced guys. But with the emergence of Trevor Walker, the expectations of Brandon Beaver, the experience of Will Shamburger, and the position moves of Taz Stevenson and Tre Watson the battle is very much still in flux.

The candidates:

Brandon Beaver: The highly touted recruit sat out and redshirted last season, and moved from corner to safety late in the year. The returns are very optimistic, with some thinking that because of his talent he will ultimately be impossible to keep off of the field early in his Husky career. It is a transition for him, and coming off of a sports hernia surgery he is a bit behind in terms of practice reps and likely conditioning too.

Will Shamburger: He's been around for what feels like forever, playing quite a bit over the past three seasons (34 career games played) while starting on a few occasions as well (5 times) but just once last year. Shamburger is not going to be a huge playmaker (0 career INT's) but his experience will be a big advantage for him.

Taz Stevenson: Another guy who seems to have been around forever (34 games played), Stevenson is moving from linebacker back to safety, where he began as a Husky. Stevenson has played mostly on special teams, and hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup yet in his career. Moving him back into the secondary was seen as a move primarily to give the position some more depth, but he could surprise.

Trevor Walker: The hard hitting true freshman is making some waves early in his career, and really showing why it's a great idea for players to come in early and get involved in spring ball for their freshman year. His star looks pretty bright, but will the staff want to save him by redshirting him and relying on the older players for the season?

Tre Watson: Watson began the year in 2012 as a starter a corner, but was eventually overtaken by the young and talented Marcus Peters. This is not necessarily a knock on Watson, as Peters is looking to have a fantastic career when all is said and done, but it may perhaps be the template for 2013 as well. Watson is a guy who has played a lot of football in transferring from West Hills College to Central Washington to UW, and playing in every possible game he could along the way. The guy knows what to do to get onto the field, and it seems like a good shot that he could be the guy the Huskies lean on early until one of the younger guys get their feet wet.

So, who do you think will be UW's opening day starter opposite Sean Parker, and why?