Husky Roster Review: Filled-Out Asoau-Afoa Looks for More Minutes

Eric Schmidt, the University of Washington edge-rusher coach, says he welcomes all sorts of body types to the position he oversees.

He's got the rock-solid junior Bralen Trice, who at 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds seems to have the right mix of girth and lines up as an All-America candidate. Redshirt freshman Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw, somewhat undersized at 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds, brings great speed to the equation. Maurice Heims, the sophomore import from Germany, is long and lean at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds.

Sixth-year senior Zion Tupuola-Fetui, currently listed at a sleek 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, seems to have found a happier medium after a stint as the Huskies' incredible shrinking man, going from a high of 280 in 2021 and playing as light as 235 last season.

Then there's Sekai Asoau-Afoa, who's very much his own player with his own shape and size.

The one-time junior-college transfer, former Central Washington University defender and Ulumoo Ale high-school teammate now carries the distinction as the UW's heaviest edge rusher with his 6-foot-4, 276-pound frame.

Whether that's an advantage or disadvantage for the senior from Tacoma, Washington, will be determined by his playing time moving forward.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Asoau-Afoa, who wears No. 46 all to himself, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

Sekai Asoau-Afoa came to the UW from the College of Mateo after spending his first college season at Central Washington.

Sekai Asoau-Afoa serves as a tackling dummy and get leveled by Bralen Trice in this edge-rusher drill during spring ball.

While Zion Tupuola-Fetui answers to ZTF, Sekai Asoau-Afoa could be identified as SAA, though he hasn't promoted it.

Sekai Asoau-Afoa finds himself pursuing wide receiver Rome Odunze in the final scrimmage during UW spring ball.

Edge rushers Gage Harty (47), Maurice Heims (45) and Sekai Asoau-Afoa pause during a break in fall camp in 2022.

Edge rushers Sekai Asoau-Afoa and the graduated Gage Harty chat as they leave practice in 2022.

In 10 games, Sekai Asoau-Afoa came up with a lone tackle in the Apple Cup. He'll look for bigger production for the Huskies in 2023.

Sekai Asoau-Afoa (46) waits for his turn on the practice sled with Bralen Trice (8), Zion Tupuola-Fetui (4) and Jake Jennings (88), among others.

Last season, Asoau-Afoa's customized size brought him 10 Husky appearances out of 13 games as a fill-in edge rusher. He finished with a lone tackle, picking it up in the regular-season finale against Washington State in the Apple Cup.

He came to Washington from the College of San Mateo, which is located south of San Francisco, listed as a 255-pound player. He had enough strength and mobility at the JC level to cause a fumble, scoop it up and return it 26 yards for a touchdown.

At Central Washington, Asoau-Afoa was a 220-pounder when he played a season before the COVID pandemic kept him from the field in 2020.

Obviously, he feels the extra weight is necessary for him to compete in Montlake. He's unquestionably a powerful guy. He has a season left to see if he can pull more minutes and put up some stats.

SEKAI ASOAU-AFOA FILE

Service: Asoau-Afoa played in 10 games, sitting out against Arizona State, California and Colorado. Nearly everyone on the UW roster got in the latter game in a 54-7 rout, which meant he must have been nursing an injury.

Stats: One tackle. He picked it up in the second quarter against WSU, combining with defensive tackle Jayvon Parker to bring down Cougars running back Nakia Watson after a 4-yard gain. That was it.

Role: He'll come off the bench. With young players Zach Durfee, Maurice Heims and Lance Holtzclaw each ready to play a lot, Asoau-Afoa will have to up his game to keep pace.

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