Early Fall Camp Returns on Zach Durfee Are Encouraging

First it was red tape that held him back, then black and blue toes. Zach Durfee simply couldn't get color coordinated for the University of Washington football team to stay on the field.

Five practices into fall camp, however, the senior from Dawson, Minnesota, appears to have moved well beyond those previous obstacles as he makes a concentrated effort to realize the high-end college football potential long projected for him by two Husky coaching staffs.

On Monday, the 6-foot-5, 256-pound Durfee resembled someone worthy of an NFL draft pick next April when he shot out of a stance with his unique quickness and he used a spin move with his powerful hands to blow past senior offensive tackle Max McCree.

"For how big he is, he is quick," Husky sophomore tight end Decker DeGraaf said. "He's got a lot of moves and he puts a lot of time into making sure he's super fundamentally sound. He's a great player."

Durfee might be the Huskies' best defender. He might be their best player period. He's just different than everyone else. It's now time to go out and show what he's got once and for all, with no interruptions.

Similar to other one-time injured Huskies these days, he wears a monitor that tracks how many contacts he makes with others, yards he runs and reps he receives. It's one way to make sure his body, in particular those toes, isn't overtaxed.

"I think his progression has been really good," UW coach Jedd Fisch said.

Durfee came to Washington from Kalen DeBoer's alma mater and earliest head-coaching stop at Sioux Falls and then appeared only in the Sugar Bowl against Texas as the NCAA forced him to sit out as a double transfer, a rule since rescinded, after taking into consideration his brief stop as a student only at North Dakota State.

A year ago, Durfee came up with 2.5 sacks in a 30-9 victory over Eastern Michigan, but got stepped on that day and that turf toe injury led to one on his other foot to the point he could barely walk, let alone play Big Ten football.

The Huskies shut him down after six game appearances, some very brief, and three start at the edge.

The loss of Durfee last season was as impactful as any for Fisch's Huskies, who needed more defensive playmakers and takeaways while it lost seven of 13 games.

Zach Durfee delivers a blow to UW offensive guard Aidan Anderson. | Skylar Lin Visuals

He's looked impressive over the past week just running to the locker room from the East field with his graceful yet sturdy gait.

Players with his sort of physical attributes tend to remove all of the mystery of what comes next for them after Husky football, especially if Durfee can put the injuries behind him. Anything goes with a healthy him.

Everyone else knows they're playing with someone capable of all sorts of attention, accolades, heroics and NFL Draft possibilities.

"I think Durfee is a really, really good player," DeGraaf said. "I'm super grateful I get an opportunity to go against him every day in practice because he's definitely going to be a next-level guy."

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