Returning all four starters and virtually all of the main reserves from last year’s unit can be spun two different ways. The optimist will point out the importance of the experience gained and the likelihood of improvement this season. The pessimist, meanwhile, will argue that having the same names of one of the nation’s absolute worst defenses in 2008 doesn’t exactly bring confidence for 2009.

The optimism vs. pessimism theme has been consistent all offseason long when it comes to the Huskies. With Coach Sarkisian comes an excellent recruiting class, plenty of energy, and a winning attitude. With a winless season in 2008 with rare signs of hope comes the feeling that it will be a very long road back to bowl eligibility.

How this defensive unit plays will help determine whether the optimists or the pessimists are right about this season. The Huskies know what they have everywhere else on the defensive side of the ball; a strength in their linebackers and a weakness in their secondary.

If the D-Line does a better job stopping the run and applying pressure to the quarterback this year, it will allow the linebackers to be freed up to help out in pass coverage and be used in whatever creative packages that Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt and Coach Sarkisian come up with. If the line shows no improvement from last year, the linebackers will be stretched too thin and it will be another long season for the Huskies.

Time will soon tell which way that it goes.

Defensive End

66 Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, 6-4, 263, Senior
92 Everrette Thompson, 6-6, 262, Sophomore

- Sure things are rare on teams coming off of a winless season, but it doesn’t get much more reliable than Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. In a conference loaded with dynamic playmakers at the defensive end position, Te’o-Nesheim holds his own as one of the best pass rushers in the conference.

In 2007, Te’o-Nesheim started in every game and was named the team’s MVP (voted by the players) and ranked 6th in the Pac-10 in sacks with 8.5 and 9th in tackles for loss with 15.

He built on that outstanding season last year, once again starting in every game and racking up 65 tackles including 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks en route to Second Team All-Pac-10 honors.

An athletic pass rusher that never seems to get fatigued, Te’o-Nesheim should once again wreak havoc in opposing backfields all season long and continue to provide this young core with an excellent role model.

Everrette Thompson was one of Washington’s most prized recruits of the 2008 recruiting class, garnering a rivals.com 4-star rating and a ranking of 10th best strongside DE in his class. As a true freshman last season, Thompson saw action in 11 games and racked up 18 tackles including five for loss and two sacks.

Thompson is being groomed to take over this spot fulltime next season, but he will provide excellent depth for both Te’o-Nesheim and Darrion Jones this season.

Defensive Tackle

74 Alameda Ta’amu, 6-3, 348, Sophomore
91 Tyrone Duncan, 6-2, 272, Redshirt Sophomore

- Recruited as a rivals.com 4-star offensive lineman in 2008, Alameda Ta’amu was rated the 15th best offensive guard in the class.

“Learning under fire” is almost an understatement for Ta’amu, who was not only switched to the defensive line but was also thrust into action in all 12 games of his true freshman season including five starts. Under more optimal conditions, Ta’amu could have spent last season redshirting and learning the ropes of the position with the scout team; but last season was far from optimal.

As frustrating as last season may have been, Ta’amu does come into this season with a wealth of real game experience, including 21 tackles last year. He showed plenty of flashes of his raw power last season, and he takes up an awful lot of space up the middle. With a year’s worth of experience under his belt and an entire offseason to work on technique and conditioning, a big step forward seems to be in order here.

Defensive Tackle

99 Cameron Elisara, 6’3, 275, Junior
96 De’Shon Matthews, 6-4, 261, Junior

- No one has earned much more attention this spring and fall on the line than Cameron Elisara, who has coaches and teammates excited to see if his off the field improvements can translate to in-game success.

Used as a reserve in 2007 (seeing action in 12 of 13 games), Elisara started in seven games last season while appearing in the other five as a reserve. He possesses an athletic skillset for a DT, using his strength and quickness to break through the line and disrupt the play in the backfield, which lead to 24 tackles last season.

His work ethic and motor are unrivaled both on and off the field, providing another great source of leadership on the line for the younger players. If early returns in the fall are any indication, an offseason’s worth of hard work has paid off in a big way. His quick burst ability coupled with Ta’amu’s size and strength provide a complimentary 1-2 punch up the middle.

Defensive End

59 Darrion Jones, 6-2, 256, Senior
50 Kalani Aldrich, 6-7, 250, Redshirt Sophomore

- Darrion Jones redshirted in 2006 to go through the transition from linebacker to  defensive end. He saw action in four games in 2007 before becoming the starter in 2008 opposite of Te’o-Nesheim.

Jones started the first nine games and appeared in the other three in relief. Converted to DE for his speed, Jones’ first season as a starter resulting in only 17 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss was definitely a disappointing one, especially with opposing offenses paying more attention to Te’o-Nesheim.

A strong spring and fall have (to this point) kept Jones atop the depth chart, but with Thompson and Aldrich both pushing for playing time, the leash won’t be very long.

Aldrich was a rivals.com 3-star recruit in the 2007 class, and was ranked the 48th best strongside defensive end in the 2007 class.

My Take

Sign me up for team-optimism. Expecting this program to completely turn around overnight would be foolish, but just seeing steps in the right direction should relieve a bit of the feeling of futility that has surrounded the football program over the last few years.

I’m actually expecting a huge step forward for the inside of this line. Alameda Ta’amu’s trial by fire was brutal, and a quick glance at the statistics last year will remind you of that. But from the jumbled mess that was 2008, Ta’amu should emerge as a considerably more polished defensive tackle this season, and everything should feel a little more natural than it did last year.

If the hype surrounding Cameron Elisara even somewhat translates to how he will do in the field, we should see a big step forward for him, too.

And of course, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim should be a lot of fun to watch. His protégée Everrette Thompson just might be too good to keep off the field too, and the thought of these two lined up opposite each other is certainly intriguing.

How many wins the Huskies end up with this year is anyone’s guess. But I don’t think I’m going out on too much of a limb here when I say that being ranked 118th nationally in rushing defense, 101st in sacks, and 114th in tackles for loss is probably not going to be the case again in 2009.