There are “issues,” as Washington linebackers coach Bob Gregory put it, in trying to replace two veteran starters in the middle of a defense.
John Timu and Shaq Thompson played alongside each other for three seasons as standout linebackers for the Huskies, and both could hear his name called in the NFL draft starting later this month.
The new middle men on the UW defense don’t have the same name recognition as Timu and Thompson — at least not yet — but senior Scott Lawyer and sophomore Azeem Victor are starting to build a connection that they hope will translate into similar production this fall.