Huskies' Fautanu Says He Was 'Shocked' to Win Morris Trophy

The difference between last year's highly successful University of Washington offensive line and the current one is a well-seasoned Troy Fautanu.

A year ago, the Huskies more than held their own against Texas in the Alamo Bowl with interior offensive linemen Jaxson Kirkland, Corey Luciano and Henry Bainivalu repeatedly opening up holes that enabled running back Wayne Taulapapa to rush for 108 yards on 14 carries and break free on a 42-yard touchdown scamper.

That senior Husky trio, however, didn't translate that production into full-time NFL careers, with Kirkland relegated to the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad while the others didn't get that far.

Now comes the 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu who wants it all. Same as Kirkland, he's a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. Unlike his former teammates, his name is being bandied about as a possible first-round NFL draft pick.

Unlike all of his conference peers, the Las Vegas native is a Morris Trophy winner, signifying him as the Pac-12's top offensive lineman — just the 16th Husky to claim the honor.

Fautanu's reaction to being singled out as the conference's best blocker whether pass-blocking or mowing down defenders to open up holes was humorous.

"It's an honor, for sure," he said. "It for sure came by surprise. When I found out, I was for sure in shock."

And why would that be?

"After every game, I felt I played bad — that's my immediate thought because I always think about the bad plays," Fautanu said with a laugh. "So it was awesome to see that and get the respect I did."

UW MORRIS TROPHY WINNERS

1981 — Fletcher Jenkins, DT

1984 — Ron Holmes, DT

1986 — Reggie Rogers, DT

1989 — Bern Brostek, C

1990 — Steve Emtman, DT

1991 — Steve Emtman, DT; Lincoln Kennedy, OT

1992 — Lincoln Kennedy, OT

1993 — Demarco Farr, DT

1996 — Bob Sapp, OT

1997 — Olin Kreutz, C

2000 — Chad Ward, OG

2017 — Vita Vea, DT

2018 — Kaleb McGary, OT; Greg Gaines, DT

2023 — Troy Fautanu, OT

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