Drew Hare’s stranglehold on the starting quarterback position just got quite a bit tighter.

Redshirt junior Matt McIntosh, who had started the Huskies’ first two games at quarterback before suffering a lower body injury, has been converted to safety, said head coach Rod Carey after Tuesday’s practice.

McIntosh made the switch to the defensive side of the ball last week, said defensive coordinator Jay Niemann.

“We had some depth things over there, obviously,” Carey said. “And he was a great safety [in high school]. He’s big, physical and … super smart. He wanted to get on the field. [There’s a] better chance at him getting on the field right now at safety than there is at quarterback. He knows that, and I do, too. So, we’re getting him on the field. [We] got to use our guys.”

Carey said he asked McIntosh if he wanted to move to safety and fight for a spot there.

“I would have never [moved him] if he didn’t want to do it,” Carey said. “So, if he would have said no we wouldn’t have done it.”

Carey said during his weekly news conference that McIntosh “might” play Saturday. After practice, Carey said McIntosh “looked a lot better [Tuesday] than he did last week when we had him out there running around. He’s not 100 percent yet, but I think he’s close.”