Washington dismisses starting cornerback Marcus Peters

Washington has reportedly dismissed all-conference cornerback Marcus Peters, dealing a significant blow to its already thin secondary heading into Saturday’s game against No. 18 UCLA.

From the Seattle Times:

Peters got into an argument with an assistant coach during practice Wednesday, a source said, apparently the final straw in a series of run-ins with Washington’s new coaching staff. He also got into an argument with coaches during UW’s victory at Colorado on Saturday and then missed practice on Tuesday, sources said.

After injuries in the defensive backfield, the Huskies had already planned to play leading receiver John Ross III as a nickel cornerback. The Huskies could potentially start three true freshman defensive backs against the Bruins. UW ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in allowing 7.3 yards per pass attempt and 275.3 passing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks are also completing 65.1 percent of their passes against Washington, the highest mark for any team in the conference except Arizona.

A third-year starter who led the team with three picks and 10 pass breakups, Peters is regarded as a potential first-round draft pick who is ranked the No. 13-best prospect in 2015 by CBS Sports.At least one UCLA receiver was looking forward to the matchup.

“He’s definitely an NFL corner,” said junior Jordan Payton, who leads the Bruins with 783 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. “It’s definitely exciting. You only get a couple of those corners come your way in a lifetime, so you have to take advantage of it.”

UCLA head coach Jim Mora looked surprised this morning when asked about Peters’ dismissal: “He’s a good football player. He’s an NFL-type guy.”