Huskies Offer California JC Edge Rusher from Australia
The University of Washington recruiting staff seems to relish the idea of repeatedly finding that football player not everyone knows about or wants and getting him into a Husky uniform.
Zach Durfee, the edge rusher transfer from the University of Sioux Falls soon to become eligible for the Sugar Bowl, is a case in point.
So are the Parker twins, Jayvon and Armon, the Detroit siblings who simply didn't register as defensive tackles with Big Ten talent sleuths.
Kalen DeBoer's coaches and staffers are now in hot pursuit of Sani Tuala, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge rusher from two-year Citrus College in Glendora, California, after making him a scholarship offer on Friday.
DeBoer describes Durfee as an overly attractive player because "he's a big guy who can run."
Tuala, it appears, is bigger player who can really get up and down the field, with online profiles suggesting he can cover 40 yards in 4.55 seconds.
As far as being a hidden talent, he's an Australian from Sydney who moved to the U.S. in the past year as a former basketball and rugby player intent on playing college football.
In nine games at Citrus, a school that's provided the UW with players in the past, Tuala finished with 13 tackles, including 3 sacks for an 8-3 team.
That was more than enough video footage for BYU, California, Houston, Hawaii, Eastern Michigan, UTSA and North Texas to peruse and consequently offer him, with BYU now of the Big 12 trying to get him on campus without delay.
"It's been real quick, to be honest," Tuala told Casey Lindquist of the Cougs Daily of the Sports Illustrated online network. "I didn't know really where it would take me from the start. But I thought I had what it takes. These last couple of weeks [therecruitment] really picked up, you know, my phone doesn't stop buzzing."
He possesses just that lone season of American football, but the Huskies, BYU and likely a lot more schools won't find that an obstacle. In fact, turning a raw talent such as this Australian into a playmaker is a welcome challenge.
Tuala is not the least daunted by using his rugby and basketball skills and turning himself into a football player either.
"The transition is not too bad," he said. "Both sports are physical, both sports require a lot of athleticism. We're still learning technique, but, you know, athleticism transfers."
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