A Moment with Luke Wattenberg: The Huskies' Man in the Middle
Nothing much bothers Luke Wattenberg, one of the more agreeable University of Washington football players.
Need a left tackle?
No problem.
How about a left guard?
Sign me up.
Can we interest you in the center position?
Just show him how to do it.
"It's probably my favorite position I've played here," Wattenberg said of hiking the ball.
And he's played a lot for the Huskies.
Taking advantage of the pandemic free pass, the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder from Trabuco Canyon, California, enters his sixth season at the UW, and his fifth as a starting player.
When he's done, Wattenberg will have played for the Huskies for as long as his first coach, Chris Petersen, coached them.
Not even the pandemic could discourage him.
Again, he just rolled with the situation and made the best of it.
"We got sent home for spring break and I was told not to come back," the said. "I just pretended like I was here every day. I took my diet really seriously. I worked on the center stuff. I worked back home with my old high school coach. It was good. It was a good offseason."
As he approaches season six, Wattenberg has started more games than any other Husky, 36, which is five more than his nearest longevity challenger, tight end Cade Otton.
He couldn't leave the UW just yet. He's just beginning to be recognized for his skill set, earning preseason accolades as one of the nation's top 20 offensive linemen.
He's also part of a pair of Husky football milestones.
Wattenberg is a member of the biggest offensive line in school history, though he's the smallest of the five starters.
And he's belongs to the first UW line to return all five starters in six decades.
"Any time you can spend two years around the same guys, all five guys, it's a big deal," Wattenberg said. "We've all had game experience. There are no rookies. It's awesome."
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