Washington senior defensive lineman Naithen Spaulding Naithen Spaulding 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Washington | 2024 State OK was a big name to watch coming into this season. The Warriors were losing one of their better players over the last two seasons from the defensive line with Hayden Millner and it was expected that Spaulding was going to explode this fall. That’s been the case as Spaulding leads the team in tackles for loss and it’s not particularly close. He has 24 tackles for loss on the year and he also leads the team in sacks with nine this season. In last week’s semifinal win, Spaulding went over 200 tackles for his career. He is an absolute game-wrecker coming off the edge for the Warriors.

We wrote about Washington 2024 defensive end Naithen Spaulding Naithen Spaulding 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Washington | 2024 State OK prior to the games in week zero and it’s hard not to come back to him again here. Spaulding was primed for a big senior season and he’s leading a defense that has played outstanding so far in the first two games. We got a chance to watch Spaulding in person back in August and he impressed. We watched him again on film from last week’s win over Sulphur and the thing that really stood out to us was his ability to open things up for the rest of the defense. There were plenty of plays where Spaulding didn’t make the stop but he was taking on two blockers and opening up a lane for someone else to make the play on the ball carrier. Spaulding is one of the best on a Washington defense that has been lights out.

Staying on the defensive line with our next player to watch with 2024 standout Naithen Spaulding Naithen Spaulding 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Washington | 2024 State OK as 2A defending champion Washington hosts Vian in a match-up featuring top ten teams in Class 2A. Last season, the Warriors went on the road and beat up on Vian and they were absolutely dominant in the first half and cruised after halftime. The most impressive part of that win was the Washington defense against Vian’s running game. This season, the Warriors are looking for some new names to step up and we think that Spaulding could be primed for a big season. Last week, he was really impressive when we watched Washington in a scrimmage. He’ll be a big key to Washington slowing down Vian’s rushing attack.

We didn’t just see standouts on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday night. The first defensive player we got a chance to see was Washington 2024 standout Naithen Spaulding Naithen Spaulding 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Washington | 2024 State OK on the defensive line. We think that Spaulding could be primed for a massive season this fall as he looks to become the top pass rusher and dominant force in the Washington front seven. Spaulding did a really good job on Thursday of creating problems for opposing offensive linemen. Spaulding made several plays in the backfield and even when he wasn’t making the tackle, he was opening things up for a teammate to make the play. Spaulding has had an outstanding offseason and he has a big senior year coming up.

On the defensive side of the ball, 2024 defensive lineman Naithen Spaulding Naithen Spaulding 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Washington | 2024 State OK will look to take the next step this fall as one of the best guys at his position in Class 2A. Spaulding benefitted the last two years by teaming up with another disruptive defensive lineman in Hayden Milner. With Milner graduating, all eyes are going to be on Spaulding to be that disruptive force along the line of scrimmage. Last season, Spaulding would finish his junior year with just over 80 tackles on the season and 11 sacks. He made a living in the backfield with just over 20 tackles for loss last season. Spaulding is definitely going to be a big key to the success of the Warriors on the defensive side of the ball. His recruitment could also explode this fall.