WATCH: How does UW Offensive Line Stack Up Against the Best?
The current University of Washington offensive line is as big as any that has been assembled at the school and all five members will play together for a second season.
Yet where does it stand beyond Seattle's city limits?
Husky Maven's Kaila Olin points out this group of Huskies resembles an SEC-sized offensive line now — specifically the one that Alabama used to capture the recent national championship.
Position by position, Alabama started the following players against Ohio State:
LT — 6-6, 312-pound Alex Leatherwood
LG — 6-4, 350-pound Deonte Brown
C — 6-3, 315-pound Chris Owens
RG — 6-3, 324-pound Emil Ekiyor Jr.
RT — 6-7, 360-pound Evan Neal
The Crimson Tide fielded three seniors and two sophomores right guard. Those five tip the scales at an average of 332 pounds.
Next season, the Huskies return three seniors and two juniors among its starters. Barring any weight gain or loss, they will average 328 pounds per player.
Physically, there's a lot of similarities. It's up the Huskies now to show off their talent level.
Washington's starting offensive line, with class and recognition from the Pac-12 and Pro Football Focus is as follows.
LT — 6-7, 322-pound Jaxson Kirkland, Sr., first-team All-Pac-12, Pro Football Focus No. 5 OT Pac-12
LG — 6-6, 355-pound Ulumoo Ale, Jr., PFF No. 3 OG
C — 6-5, 300-pound Luke Wattenberg, Sr., honorable-mention All-Pac-12, PFF No. 5 C
RG — 6-6, 335-pound Henry Bainivalu, Sr., honorable-mention All-Pac-12, PFF No. 2 OG
RT — 6-3, 330-pound Victor Curne, Jr., honorable-mention All-Pac-12, PFF No. 3 OT
Size-wise, the Huskies have built the offensive line to be heavy road-graders on the interior and lighter (yet still above 300 pounds) on the outside to deal with the new breed of edge rushers.
The Huskies return not just a veteran line but many of the top performers in the league at their respective positions. As a group, UW's offensive line did not give up a sack in the four-game season.
Washington's rushing attack averaged 176 yards per game, sixth in the conference. Its average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt was eighth overall. The OL didn't give up a sack other than quarterback Dylan Morris voluntarily stepping out of bounds.
With all of the starters returning, the components are in place for a run at the conference championship and maybe more.
Check out the full video above.
