Ale Bidding to Become Starter in Huskies' Only Real Position Battle

The former offensive guard looks physically imposing even after dropping 50 pounds.

Running back Will Nixon burst through the line of scrimmage during Saturday's University of Washington football practice, the first one in full pads, and the former Big Ten player kept his feet as the play was whistled dead.

However, someone trying to block for him, unidentifiable because of the congestion of players at the point of attack, wasn't quite so lucky. Not fortunate at all. In fact, completely manhandled.

Defensive tackle Ulumoo Ale, standing upright and stationary, gave someone a rather effortless shove — not unlike hitting an irritating fly with a rolled-up newspaper — and that other offensive player immediately dropped and hit the ground hard.

Meet the UW's Man Mountain, possibly the team's most physically impressive specimen right now of many running around Husky Stadium and getting ready for the coming season.

Ale twice has completely changed his upper-body physique since Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff and strength coach Ron McKeefery took over the program.

A year ago, Ale dropped about 50 pounds after making the switch from offensive guard to defensive tackle, which was impressive enough.

Yet today, the sixth-year senior, who lists at 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds, appears extremely taunt and well-defined after putting on muscle rather than simply shedding excess weight.

The outcome for him is this: Ale is involved in just about the only true starting position battle with the Husky lineups fairly static some three weeks before the opener against Boise State.

"I'm excited about the impact he can make, which I think will be much greater than anything he did a year ago," DeBoer said.

The Husky personnel across the rebuilt No. 1 offensive line doesn't change from practice to practice. The quarterback, receivers, edge rushers and safeties are obvious choices. The staff has settled on two new cornerbacks. Only inside linebacker gets a sporadic personnel shuffle, with Carson Bruener and USC transfer Ralen Goforth pulling first-team snaps for an injured Alphonzo Tuputala in recovery.

Ale, who appeared in 11 games and started against Colorado in 2022, finds himself in a fierce competition with returning down-lineman starter Faatui Tuitele for the lead role.

"He's moving really well," defensive-line coach Inoke Breckterfield said. "He's gotten better since he's gotten with me."

A year ago, Ale injured a knee in fall camp and a turned a Dempsey Indoor practice into dead silence after he let out a yell and lay on the ground in agony. That mishap set him back in his transition to the Husky defense. He played a lot that season, but clearly was a reserve.

Now with everything coming together — good health, a year of experience and added strength — the UW coaches have a spirited position battle on their hands. The program, while in reliable hands last season with Tuli Letuligasenoa and Tuitele up front, hasn't had a real dominant player up front since Greg Gaines and Vita Vea came through on their way to the NFL during the Chris Petersen coaching era.

"Obviously, [it's] a new body and I've got time to kind of get used to it and kind of grow into my body," Ale said. "[I'm] just getting confident with my new weight, recognizing my new speed and the body changes come with a lot of differences in the way I move."

Especially if that move is from the second unit to the first team at Husky defensive tackle.

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