Preston Zachman pushing for playing time in competitive safety room
With the addition of transfer Kamo'i Latu, who brings 19 games of experience, and the return of Titus Toler, who was in line to be in the rotation last season before he stepped away due to injury, the return of a healthy Preston Zachman may have gone overlooked.
With a full practice open to reporters earlier this week, it seems the redshirt sophomore safety has earned the trust of the coaching staff. During the session, Zachman was seen working with the second-team alongside Latu behind the likely starting duo of John Torchio and Hunter Wohler.
"In the spring I had a hip injury that I had to have repaired," Zachman said. "It happened right before spring ball and it was kind of a timing thing, and it got me back right before camp."
Zachman will be pushing for playing time throughout fall camp as part of a completely remade group. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who likes to use up to four safeties in a game, made it clear how he felt about the depth at safety during the spring.
"We were definitely thin, but that was due to injuries and stuff like that," Zachman said. "We added a lot of guys to our room this fall and I think it's really helped us, depth-wise."
Following a knee injury to Travian Blaylock that will likely sideline him for the duration of the season, Leonhard was left with four healthy bodies at the position.
The position group to end the spring was made up of a starting duo of Torchio, who logged 383 snaps a season ago and tied for the team lead with three interceptions, and Wohler, who played 70 defensive snaps as a true freshman. Behind the top group, the room was down to walk-ons Owen Arnett and Bryce Carey, neither of whom has logged a snap in a game.
To open the fall, Leonhard welcomed Latu, Zachman and Toler, who returned to the program this summer. Freshmen Austin Brown and Cade Yacamelli have also worked with the group during camp.
"Any time you got guys coming back from long times off - injuries and stuff like that - you want to be smart just to make sure they are continually building and not taking a step back," Leonhard said at UW's media day. "Injuries happen and he's (Toler) going to get sore, and I think of a guy like Preston Zachman, who is the same thing. Coming back from injuries, you always want to be smart, and that's where communication and trust are a big factor of it. We are constantly going back and forth and we have to keep building."
Latu comes in with a full season of playing time under his belt in which he notched 19 tackles and three pass breakups. In his lone start against USC, he led the team with 10 tackles. Toler's playmaking ability - highlighted by an interception against Illinois in the 2020 opener - is also intriguing. Brown flashed his athleticism as well with an athletic interception off a bobbled pass that bobbled pass shown in a clip from the team's Twitter account.
Zachman could be tabbed as the wildcard of the group. The Pennsylvania native didn't play in any games this past season after making the move over from linebacker to safety in the spring. His opportunity during fall represents the first time he's been able to play free and not have to worry about any physical limitations.
"For me it was really like, I got past these injuries and I didn’t have to focus on if I could make it through a practice," Zachman said. "I could really just focus on my technique and play football, reading offense and stuff like that. I know the playbook, so really just kind of taking my game to the next level."
When it comes to reading an offense, Zachman adds a different lens when seeing the field. During his high school career, the former three-star recruit saw time at quarterback, tight end and receiver. The time at quarterback, he believes, will help in terms of a knowledge of "how offenses work and how quarterbacks are trying to read the defense," he said.
Prior to the start of fall camp, Leonhard called his challenge finding how many guys he can win and play with at a championship level. With his philosophy of playing multiple bodies at the position, it seems Zachman is poised to have a role on the defense after dealing with his hip injury.
"I think I’m definitely prepared for it and I hope that’s how it ends up," Zachman said of stepping up to a role in the secondary.
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