UW Football Primer: Victor Curne, Part of the Huskies' Texas Pipeline
Victor Curne wanted to play for Texas, but the Longhorns didn't want him. TCU was interested in him, but the Houston recruit decided after visiting tthat the Horned Frogs weren't for him.
The 3-star offensive tackle chose to cross over state lines in a big way, settling on Washington and becoming part of the Huskies' newfound pipeline of talent coming from that football-crazy state.
Curne joined since graduated wide receiver Aaron Fuller (McKinney) and current All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike (Allen) on the UW roster. He'll welcome incoming linebacker Cooper McDonald (Haslet) and tailback Javeon Sunday (Waco) to Seattle.
It could have been more. On the same July day in 2017 that Curne committed to the Huskies, another Texas recruit, inside linebacker Nicholas Bolton (Frisco), pledged he would play for the UW, as well.
Three months later, however, Bolton and Chris Petersen's staff parted ways for reasons not made exactly clear, though there were suggestions he continued to entertain recruiting pitches. The Texan defender ended up at Missouri, where he led the Tigers in tackles in 2019.
Curne stayed true to his commitment and came north, moving into the Husky two-deeps as a redshirt freshman this past season.
"The key factor that led me to choose UW over my other options was just the vision they had for me and the team," the lineman told scout.com when he solidified his football future. "I felt like they really were looking to develop me."
This is another in a series of profiles on prospective UW football starters. While spring practice is in question because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated will provide uninterrupted coverage.
Curne's big chance is coming whenever college football is able to resume. He appeared in seven outings as a redshirt freshman, gradually pulling more game time until he played three-quarters of the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State last December.
"Victor Curne got his feet wet for his first real action," Petersen said. "He did a good job."
The attraction to Curne is his 6-foot-3, 320-pound frame combined with athleticism usually limited for players of his size.
Against Boise State, he dominated the guys opposite him, continually driving them five yards off the ball. In the highlight video shown here, the Second Baptist High product is shown pancaking player after player.
Besides his Texas school flirtations, Curne also considered offers from Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Kansas and, same as Bolton, Missouri.
Most of these schools recruited him as a guard, but the Huskies saw a tackle, which seemed to appeal to him.
"It was the fit," Curne said. "I looked at my list, sat down and thought which is the best fit for me overall?"
The sophomore likely was going to enter spring drills No. 1 at right tackle, opposite junior Jaxson Kirkland on the left side. Two real physical bookends.
With Curne, he'll provide an aggressive Texas two-step.
SUMMARY: The Huskies have had a good run with Texas players, with everyone who has come west in recent seasons contributing in a significant way. Curne's turn is next.
GRADE: Curne pencils out at a 3 because he hasn't done it yet. He should be fun to watch, putting guys on their backs on a steady basis. He's just getting started.
