Anterio Thompson Makes His Play to Be UW D-Line Anchor

In recent seasons, the University of Washington football team continously has been in search of a playmaking defensive tackle, someone who repeatedly can shut down the middle of the line of scrimmage and make opponents feel compelled to run elsewhere.

They've tried a strong man up front in Sebastian Valdez, who came out of the Big Sky Conference last year and at least beat everyone in the bench press.

Valdez came to Montlake last year on the heels of Tuli Letuligasenoa, who relied mostly on a mean streak to guide him as a three-year starter.

Still, the Huskies gave up large chunks of rushing yards to teams such as Iowa and Indiana in 2024, and in the national championship game to Michigan the year before, and this led to lopsided defeats.

Four practices into Fall Camp, the Huskies seem to be giving lot of responsibility to newcomer Anterio Thompson, a rangy player who has mixed his strength and athleticism to become what appears to be the Huskies' first option up front.

After previously playing for Iowa and Western Michigan, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound Thompson appears properly motivated to finish off his college career with a flourish.

Shea Kuykendall stands in the pocket under pressure from Anterio Thompson in the Spring Game. | Skylar Lin Visuals

"lt was a lot of me maturing as a player," Thompson said of his UW experience so far. "It was me being more aggressive. I feel at the beginning of my career I was thinking too much and not using my physical abilities. They tell me, 'You have all these physical traits, just use them.' "

Just under a month until the opener against Colorado State, Thompson rotates into the No. 1 defensive line more than anyone else.

He credits Husky defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi for better breaking things down for him in making him a more disruptive player.

"I like how he's so into the details," he said. "He always talks about being good at the basics. Everybody want to do all those cool things, the spin moves. With him, it's, 'Do you know how to use your hands? Do you know how to use your feet.' "

As the Huskies put together a defense with just four starters returning from the Sun Bowl, Thompson largely has replaced Valdez while holdover sophomore Elinneus Davis seems to pair up with him the most up front, with Arizona transfer Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei sliding in alongside them when the UW turns to a five-man line.

Anterio Thompson (54) is shown with his Iowa teammates during 2023 spring football. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Edge rusher Zach Durfee, coming off double turf toe injuries, continues to show why the Huskies missed him so much last season.

With players wearing pads but still limited in contact on Sunday, the 6-foot-5, 256-pound Durfee came up and met sophomore running back Adam Mohammed in the hole and dropped him hard to the ground.

Offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi seemed to object to the play, which had Durfee apologizing to Mohammed for it well after practice had ended.

While the Huskies continue to look for starting safeties and linebackers -- especially waiting to see if Arizona transfer Jacob Manu can get himself ready for the season at one of the LB spots just nine months after a knee injury -- Thompson apparently will be entrusted with anchoring the defensive line.

"You see it in he's very athletic and versatile," Davis said. "You see it in the weight room and out here. He's has for sure come a long way since spring."

Thompson, who's from Dubuque, Iowa, admitted to butterflies during the spring when he joined his third college football program and had to learn his third defense, but he felt comfortable by the end of the 15 practices in April and into May.

He could be the most important new piece to a Husky defense that needs to get better if the UW is to make a significant jump from six wins to maybe nine or 10 this fall.

"Right now, I feel the best when it come to like my strength and my understanding of the game," Thompson said. "I feel I'm playing a lot faster and technique-wise I'm getting a lot better."

Teams such as Ohio State and Michigan certainly will go at him to see if that's true.

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