Huskies Confidently Turn To Young Guns On Defense

Any other college football team that would start two freshmen across its defensive front most likely would be in a serious rebuild, knowing that sacrificing the present for the future had to be done, that it could be painful.

The University of Washington will do this not out of bare necessity but rather because it has a pair of first-year players in defensive tackle Derek Coman-Brusa and edge rusher Ramzak Fruean who simply are too good to sit and watch.

They're locals, from Seattle and Tacoma (by way of Hawaii), respectively, and teenagers, nowhere near turning into adulthood.

Ramzak Fruean is a freshman poised to start at edge rusher for the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

Having one of these stalwarts -- a freshman in the Big Ten ready to play immediately -- would be considered a major accomplishment, but having two of them is truly an embarrassment of riches.

"A good personnel department, good recruiting by my staff and those guys are good players," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said of how this good fortune came to be.

Even more amazing, the Huskies not only convinced these two youngsters to play in Montlake, they had them both change positions.

Colman-Brusa showed up as an edge rusher and he was encouraged to become a defensive tackle, while Fruean arrived as a linebacker before he was convinced to become an edge rusher.

Together, they've made it all work -- the new roles, the added physicality, the belief they can compete with anybody.

"I think we've got a really good offensive line and the way [the freshmen] have been competing with those guys and the plays that they've been making, coupled with you know they fit the mold from a height, weight measurables standpoint," Walters said, " and you couple that with a certain maturity level and they've handled what we've thrown at them from an install standpoint.

"They've put together consistent good days, so that gives us confidence moving forward."

Derek Colman-Brusa comes out of stance while warming up for the Spring Game. | Dave Sizer photo

Naturally, each player is a lot bigger than when he first walked into the locker room.

Colman-Brusa goes 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, an increase of nearly 30 pounds since last winter.

The still spindly Fruean stands 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, up 20 since his arrival.

The Huskies continue to show off highly unusual players, with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. possibly the fastest quarterback in college football, linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale describing himself as the fastest linebacker across the country and punter Hunter Green quite possibly the nation's best at what he does.

Now comes two of three possible freshman starters for the UW -- offensive tackle Kodi Greene is the other -- with this pair not only playing on the defensive line but often right next to each other and looking to settle in for a long time.

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