Anterio Thompson Will Be Asked to Plug Up UW Middle

It is hoped the new defensive tackle will be a playmaker for the Huskies.

Anterio Thompson grips a football during spring ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

When the 22 starters are revealed on Monday for the season opener, the University of Washington football team will offer plenty of headliners in quarterback Demond Williams Jr., running back Jonah Coleman, wide receiver Denzel Boston and cornerback Tacario Davis.

Why even edge rusher Zach Durfee finally showed up on a list of potential breakout players nationwide.

However, when people examine the manpower selected for the Colorado State game on August 30, the most pivotal player very well could be the guy wearing No. 54, anchoring the defensive line and trying to finish his career with a flourish following previous stops at Iowa and Western Michigan.

On the surface, Anterio Thompson might look like just another journeyman lining up at defensive tackle, of which there have been many for the Huskies in recent seasons.

Strong guys. Tough guys. Lunch pail guys.

Everything except a playmaker shutting down the middle on a consistent basis and making it a no-man's land.

It is hoped that Thompson, an intriguing 6-foot-2, 305-pound Iowa native with quickness and athleticism, might be that guy.

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

The best UW teams of the past have had monsters in the middle in Steve Emtman and Vita Vea, but not recently. This new guy hardly is expected to channel either one of those long-ago Husky hulksters in the trenches, but an uptick in disruption would be most welcome.

"I know a little bit about the history here, but I'm still learning a lot of things," Thompson said. "I know I have a lot to bring to the table. If I take the coaching and take advantage of all the resources they have, I can be in those conversations." 

UW defensive tackle Anterio Thompson has a 306-pound body that is fairly trim. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Last season, the Husky defensive linemen collectively totaled just 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Even in the 2023 run to the national championship game, the UW interior guys, over a memorable 15-game season, collected a mere 8 TFLs, or one every other outing, and a solitary sack.

In essence, they were just placeholders trying to redirect plays to the edge rushers and linebackers.

Stat-wise, Thompson doesn't make anyone shudder with his Western Michigan totals as a 12-game starter: 1.5 TFLs and a lone sack.

At Iowa, he was largely a special-teams player whose season highlights were confined to a pair of blocked punts.

Yet the UW coaching staff challenged Thompson to do everything he could in the offseason to realize his potential as a defensive playmaker and he impressed his new teammates with his weight-lifting exploits and stadium workouts.

Anterio Thompson (11) playing forWestern Michigan pulls down an Ohio State running back. | Adam Cairns-Imagn Images

Through spring practice and fall camp, he showed a proclivity for getting into the backfield and knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage.

Over that time, Thompson exclusively has held down one of the interior lineman spots while the Huskies rotate a number of players alongside him.

Anterio Thompson, right, gathers himself for another contact drill. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Switching from a four- to a five-man front and back, the UW is preparing to do all that it can to jam up the middle and slow down the better Big Ten rushing teams.

It is hoped a fully motivated Thompson will play a key role in all of that.

"We're hard to block now," UW coach Jedd Fisch said.

Thompson, as much as anyone, will try to make that ring true.

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