Washington Huskies lose Jonathan Epperson Jr. to transfer portal

The depth at linebacker for the Washington Huskies got a little thinner when linebacker Jonathan Epperson Jr. became the 18th UW player to enter the transfer portal.

Epperson, a former four-star recruit from Auburn Riverside High, appeared in just one game last season and the 6-foot, 225-pound redshirt freshman did not record a tackle during Washington’s 38-10 win against Boise State in the LA Bowl.

The Huskies appear to be loaded at linebacker with starters Xe’ree Alexander and Jacob Manu, who had 70 and 24 tackles last season, which ranked second and 11th on the team, respectively.

UW backups Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (21 tackles) and Taariq Al-Uqdah (15) are also slated to return.

Epperson received scholarship offers from Oregon, USC, Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona. He was headed to the Wildcats and coach Jedd Fisch before Fisch took the UW job in January 2024.

Epperson announced his decision to join the Huskies on June 24, 2024 and had difficulty getting on the field. Despite the lack of playing time, he was named UW’s scout team most valuable player last season.

Parker twins on the move

A day after his twin brother Armon stepped into the portal, Jayvon Parker joined him with an announcement Saturday morning.

The 6-3, 330-pound defensive tackle and Detroit native came to Washington in 2022 and played in 26 games while tallying 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

His UW career effectively came to a close when he tore his Achilles at Rutgers on Sept. 27, 2024 and missed the rest of the season. Jayvon Parker played three snaps last season, but didn’t register a tackle in the Michigan game.

Losing the Parker twins depletes Washington’s defensive line, which lost Simote Pepa, Logan Sagapolu, Anterio Thompson, and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei to graduation while Bryce Butler entered the portal.

The Huskies have added transfers DeSean Watts, Darin Conley and Kai McClendon to replenish the defensive front.