UW Fresh Start (No. 68): Complete Makeover Could Make Ale Flourish

Joining the University of Washington football team, Ulumoo Ale answered to M.J. before informing school officials he preferred to be known by his Polynesian given name.

He grew to 365 pounds on a 6-foot-6 frame as a Husky lineman before scaling back to his present weight of 355, deciding smaller was better.

This winter, Ale had yet one more transformation in him — he made a somewhat radical position switch from offensive guard to defensive tackle.

It's now up to new UW coach Kalen DeBoer to see if he can get the most out of this gargantuan man who was born in Samoa, raised in Australia as a child and moved to the U.S. and Fife, Washington, for his high school years.

As one of the Pac-12's largest football players, Ale has presented the Huskies with all sorts of intriguing possibilities that haven't been realized.

Over two seasons, he started 10 games at left guard. He occasionally wowed everyone by nimbly pulling out and showing no mercy in flattening a helpless opponent.

Yet Ale twice gave up his starting job last season, first to Julius Buelow and then to Troy Fautanu. He was banged up with an injury early on, but he also was tripped up by the intricacies of the job, not always hitting the right person.

The previous coaching staff has to be partially to blame for not getting more out of Ulumoo Ale. By putting him on defense, the new coaches think they have a better plan.

"M.J. is a mass of humanity," co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said. "There's no doubt you stick him in an A gap and we know he'll be able to hold it down in time."

Ulumoo Ale is a huge man.

Ulumoo Ale runs well for a big man.

Husky linemen wander the sideline at OSU.

Ulumoo Ale emerges from the tunnel during pandemic high times.

Huge Huskies wait for the next drill.

With spring practice a day away, we're offering intel and observations gathered on the UW football personnel in a series of stories on every scholarship player from No. 0 to 99. We'll review each Husky's previous starting experience, if applicable, and determine what comes next under DeBoer.

As is the case with any coaching change, it's a new football beginning for everyone, including the Huskies' No. 68.

On the average, the UW defense last season gave up 193 yards rushing, a season-worst 329 to Oregon.

The Husky defensive linemen were either undersized or underperformed.

Amazingly enough, 6-foot-2, 330-pound Taki Taimani, one of the UW tackles victimized by the Ducks for 329 yards rushing last December in a 26-16 defeat, ended up with them after entering the transfer portal.

It is hoped that Ale, a junior, will be the big body the Huskies have been missing, someone who will swallow everyone up front by doing his best Vita Vea strong-man impersonation.

"He was sold on it from the beginning," DeBoer said. "There was no talking him into it."

This is a second chance for big Ulumoo to flourish, possibly his best avenue to the NFL and maybe the answer to fixing a porous UW rushing defense.

He can't change much more than his name, size and assignment.

UW Starter or Not: Ale has been a starter on the O-line, so there's no reason he can't take on a similar assignment as a defender this fall. The Huskies need an oversized stop-gap player they haven't had. Ale needs more freedom to be a monster in the trenches. This could work out for everyone.

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