Washington Football: 5 players trending up after spring 2019

Washington football has high hopes for its 2019 season, and for good reason, but which players are trending up after spring ball?

Is it possible that the national media is overlooking Washington football already? The Huskies won the Pac-12 title a season ago, but with Jake Browning never really living up to his freshman year hype, they weren’t a popular pick to get any College Football Playoff love.

Although the Huskies missed out on the playoff, they finished 10-4 with a tight loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, 28-23.

There’s plenty of optimism surrounding the program, especially with Georgia-transfer Jacob Eason coming home to aid Washington’s return to the playoff for the second time. He had a solid spring, but who else stepped up?

Ariel Ngata is one of those guys that has an incredibly high ceiling and has yet to reach his potential in a Washington uniform. He redshirted as a freshman in 2017 and played sparingly in 2018, recording 11 tackles and one tackle for loss.

Although he didn’t exactly make a name for himself, he put himself in a decent position to contend for playing time, especially with Ben Burr-Kirven and Tevis Bartlett gone. Ngata is a natural outside linebacker but could play anywhere in the corps — as far as inside or out.

There’s a good chance Ngata played himself into a larger tole this spring. He has the size, athleticism and high football IQ to make up a dominant pass-rushing linebacker.

If you’re looking for one of the Pac-12’s top breakout stars on the defensive side of the ball, the former Army All-American from Folson, Calif., is your guy.