Departing Teammates Envision Big Season for Isaiah Ward as Husky Edge

The UW pass rusher gets vote of confidence from those moving on.

Isaiah Ward gets in a stance coming off the edge for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Unlike teammates Zach Durfee and Russell Davis II, University of Washington edge rusher Isaiah Ward didn't have a breakout game full of sacks last season.

He didn't disappear from the team a short time later with a season-ending injury and become part of a what-if discussion.

No, the 6-foot-5, 227-pound Ward remained relatively healthy for the entire 2024 season for the Huskies, yet he sort of blended into the background because he moved in and out of the starting lineup -- opening six of the 13 games.

It was almost seemed like he was penalized because he played regularly and avoided the Husky infirmary, rather than having a spectacular outing and then everything taken from him.

Now 18 days from the beginning of spring football, the junior from Ontario, California, and nephew for NFL great Bobby Wagner has been singled out by more than one former teammate as someone on the defense to watch for in the upcoming season.

"Isaiah iis a very upcoming guy," departing defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez said at Husky Pro Day. "He's going to be very solid. He's going to be a good guy when you watch the defensive line next [season]. I'm very excited."

At some point all of these returning UW edge rushers will be reunited as active participants for the coming season, though Durfee wasn't sure if he'd be ready to take part in spring ball after suffering a turf toe injruy that required surgery.

Durfee brought a lot of attention for himself by collecting 2.5 sacks and what looked like a sure pick-6 interception go through his hands in a 30-9 victory over Eastern Michigan in the Huskies' second game of the season

A 6-foot-5, 256-pound junior from Brandon, Minnesota, he started just three times over six games before sitting out the rest.

Davis collected more edge rusher stats than anyone in a 24-hour period but played even less than Durfee.

A 6-foot-3, 217-pound junior from Chandler, Arizona, he appeared in just three UW contests, picking up three sacks against UCLA in a 31-19 win in game 11 and receiving Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

However, he was done the following week when he suffered an upper-body injury in practice that necessitated surgery, this after he missed the first eight games of the season with a leg ailment of some sort.

Isaiah Ward lines up on the edge against Michigan. / Skylar Lin Visuals

With his body intact, Ward will try to generate production more on line with what he did in 2023 for Jedd Fisch's staff at Arizona.

Starting 11 games for the Wildcats, he stacked up 30 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, capped off by a strip sack bringing a pivotal fumble, in a 38-24 victory over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

For the Huskies, he settled for 28 tackles with 6 TFLs and 3 sacks this past season and will enter the 2025 campaign seeking more defensive heroics.

Those exiting teammates out of eligibility expect a very productive and continuously healthy season from Ward.

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