Don't Tell Coach DeBoer, But ZTF Missed the Penix Video

The Husky edge rusher, however, learned soon enough his quarterback was coming back.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui admittedly showed up for the dinner at the University of Washington football banquet, but didn't stick around for the dessert.

Oh, did the Husky edge rusher miss out. He skipped the best part. 

ZTF was asked for his immediate reaction to UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. showing a surprise video at the team function that declared his return for 2023.

"Don't tell Coach [Kalen] DeBoer," the veteran player told reporters, looking a little sheepish. "I left early. I was tired. I didn't see it."

For a brief while, ZTF might have been the only one inside the UW football program who didn't know of this seismic roster event.

"I got home, opened Instagram and said, 'Oh, that's crazy,' " the personable 6-foot-4, 249-pound junior from Pearl City, Hawaii, said.

Like everyone else, the defensive playmaker hadn't given much stock to the prolific quarterback, the nation's leading passer with 4,354 yards, passing on the NFL and playing a sixth season of college football. 

"At the time, and you guys are probably feeling it, too, it's probably 50-50," ZTF said. "When it did happen, it was wow. When it's 50 you tend to lean to the negative, be a little bit of a pessimist. Oh, he's gone."

His attitude following Penix's big decision represented a huge shift. 

"Hey, we're kind of in a good spot right here," he said.

It wasn't long before ZTF and fellow edge rusher Bralen Trice together announced their 2023 return. Each has been a first-team All-Pac-12 selection at edge rusher, Trice this past season while ZTF's accolades came in 2020. 

Tupuola-Fetui told how the Husky staff had shown him the defensive progress made from year one to year two in the coaches' previous stops at Fresno State and Sioux Falls, and he liked what he heard.

UW edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt describes the system as "freedom within discipline" and ZTF understands it better now. 

While he didn't initially think Penix would join him, the defensive leader wasn't ready to leave, transfer or change things up himself. 

"The U-Dub is really the only real option I've considered since coming to college, [with] the portal and everything and NIL," ZTF said. "People talk about the other options you have out there. I put my feet down in Seattle and I put my roots down in Seattle, and I was never ready to leave."

Now that Husky dinner was the exception as far as an early departure, but chances are he'll stick around to the end of the next one.

---

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3

Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.