Robert Bala was eager to see the competition throughout the offseason. Washington’s linebacker group lost nearly all of their key players for the 2024 season. There are entry-level positions available. Bala, who spent the previous season coaching linebackers for the Huskies, predicted a “smooth transition” into 2025. “Having open spots is a good problem to have,” Bala stated Monday. “From the competition aspect of our program, it’s going to be really fun to see those guys go through and earn a job.” However, Bala will not be present to observe who emerges. Just two days after speaking to the public with the rest of the UW defensive staff, he’s departing to join Billy Napier’s staff at Florida, according toBut Bala, who spent the past season coaching linebackers fo numerous sources.
He will coach linebackers and serve as co-defensive coordinator with the Gators.The Huskies are once again looking to replace another defensive assistant position. “I feel like we have a fantastic defensive staff,” Husky coach Jedd Fisch said on Monday. Bala is the third defensive assistant to leave UW since the end of the 2024 season. Steve Belichick left to become the defensive coordinator at North Carolina, where his father, Bill Belichick, was hired to manage the program in December 2024. Vinnie Sunseri, the safeties coach, quit immediately after Wisconsin’s 35-34 loss in the Sun Bowl. He initially left to become defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State, but then joined Napier in Florida as safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. Bala and Sunseri will reunite with the Gators in Gainesville, Florida. Bala was the last addition to Fisch’s.After spending the 2023 season at Alabama, Nick Saban’s final season with the Crimson Tide, he joined the initial staff at UW.Unlike other defensive assistants John Richardson and Jason Kaufusi, who both followed Fisch to UW from Arizona, or even Sunseri, who had coached with the Belichicks while with the New England Patriots, Bala had no evident ties to Fisch’s staff. Washington’s linebackers had a successful season under Bala’s guidance. Coaches and media unanimously named Carson Bruener to the third-team All-Big Ten. In 2024, he led UW in tackles with 104, while also recording three interceptions, five pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Alphonzo Tuputala, a fellow linebacker, got an All-Big Ten honorable mention after finishing second on the team with 81 tackles and a team-high 3.5 sacks. However, Khmori House may have been Bala’s finest achievement. The rookie emerged as one of the UW’s surprising shining spots inThe freshman emerged as one of UW’s surprising shining lights in 2024, recording 35 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble.House was selected Big Ten rookie of the week following Wisconsin’s 24-5 victory over Northwestern on September 21. He made a tremendous tackle for a loss on the goal line late in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on downs and helping Washington win 26-21 over USC on November 2. However, Bala’s position group had the highest attrition rate at UW when the season ended. Following the Sun Bowl, Bruener, Tuputala, and special teams contributor Drew Fowler had exhausted their eligibility. Furthermore, experienced Bryun Parham and House entered the transfer portal, resulting in UW losing its top five linebackers in 2024. “I think the biggest thing we have to replace is leadership,” he remarked. Bala introduced some intriguing linebacker possibilities for theThe 2025 season. Washington has signed former Arizona captain Jacob Manu, a 2023 first-team All-Pac-12player, local star. Xe’ree Alexander, who spent two excellent seasons at Idaho and UCF after attending Kennedy Catholic High, and Taariq Al-Uqdah, who played three seasons at Washington State. Manu is rehabilitating from a knee injury that occurred late in the 2024 season. He told The Seattle Times on Monday that he hopes to be ready after fall camp begins, but there is no set schedule for his return. “I think the guys we brought in have a lot of time on the field,” Bala joked. Bala’s ability to add talent went beyond the transfer portal. Washington signed three linebackers for their 2025 recruiting class, including Bethel High’s Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. He was Washington’s best prospect, a 247Sports consensus four-star recruit, and the No.One player in the state.Along with Rainey-Sale, Bala and the Huskies signed Auburn Riverside High’s Jonathan Epperson Jr., a composite four-star recruit, and versatile defender Donovan Robinson from Loyola Academy in Illinois. Rainey-Sale enrolled at UW in time for the winter quarter. “Really excited about the young guys that are going to join us here,” he remarked. “They have a promising future ahead of them to compete. We enjoy playing guys early. “Throw them into the fire and see what they can do.”You can have continuity for three, four, or five years, so I’m quite thrilled about the freshmen class coming in.” Bala also helped UW secure an early commitment from local 2026 linebacker Wassie Lugolobi, who now attends Eastside Catholic High. He is the No.According to the composite rankings, the state has five players.
Lugolobi is a composite three-star prospect who has also received offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Louisville, Stanford, and Tennessee. Since January 1, he’s received scholarship offers from both USC and Michigan. On Wednesday, UW lost a commitment from Esun Tafa, a 2026 composite four-star prospect, just after former Washington offensive-line coach Brennan Carroll resigned to join his father Pete Carroll with the Las Vegas Raiders. Copyright (c) 2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The different suppliers hold the copyright for some portions. This item was originally published on February 5, 2025, at 4:56 PM.
Leave a Reply