Wednesday Dots: Pac Previews

Outside in the cold distance

A wildcat did growl

Two riders were approaching

And the Dots began to howl

• Jon Wilner’s weekly Pac-12 column is a unique approach to the conference preview. He looks at a few key storylines across the Pac, including unproven QBs, new DCs, and high-end edge rushers. Not surprisingly, UW has a strong presence in each of these categories with Michael Penix, an entirely new defensive staff, and the high-potential combination of ZTF and Bralen Trice on the edge.

• Mike Vorel emptied out his notebook from Pac-12 media day. A major theme was the approach and early returns from Kaleb Deboer on the recruiting trail. Deboer has focused on a tight-knit, supportive atmosphere with the ability to prepare players for the NFL. Impressively, Deboer and his staff have solid blue chip recruits on this vision without the need to demonstrate it for a season on the field. Given the questions around recruiting at the time of Deboer’s hiring, the early success is a huge positive.

• Along the same lines, Christian Caple looked back on what he learned at media day. He focused on the winding road Jaxson Kirkland has traveled in the last year.

• Washington’s secondary has been such a standout unit for most of the last decade that it earned the position coach a head coaching gig and the school the nickname DBU. A lot has changed since last year, especially with the loss of two high NFL draft picks. Dawgman previewed the position to see who can fill the holes and where there’s a chance to be even better than a year ago.

• We didn’t get the full ZTF experience in 2021 as he worked his way back from an Achilles injury on an accelerated timeline. The national outlets see him as a good bet to get back to his peak in 2022. PFF and Mike Farrell listed him among their top 10 edge rushers nationally in recent days. Dan Raley of SI.com looked into ZTF’s progress and national reputation.