Husky Roster Review: Tuli Does All the UW Defensive Dirty Work

When University of Washington spring football drills began, Tuli Letuligasenoa stood off to the side at times, idle while his defensive-line teammates went at it.

It was nothing to be alarmed about — no major injury, no illness, no punishment of any kind.

The veteran player the DeBoer coaching staff likes to call "a true warrior," simply was in recovery from a long and grueling 2022 season and needed to be eased back into action.

Letuligasenoa and fellow D-line starter Faatui Tuitele both were still a little beat up and needed either a medical procedure or just time to be ready to resume the trench wars, UW coach Kalen DeBoer said.

In particular, the 6-foot-1, 302-pound Letuligasenoa enters his sixth college football season with a lot of miles on him, 41 games of wear and tear in fact, which ranks him second on the team trailing only safety Dominique Hampton's 42 career outings.

The difference is this compact lineman from Concord, California, has had to hit someone on each and every play, and still keeps coming back for more.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Letuligasenoa, who wears No. 91 on defense, 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.

Husky defensive linemen Tuli Letuligasenoa, left, the departed Siaosi Finau, Voi Tunuufi (52) and Faatui Tuitele (99) acknowledge the end of spring ball with a tired pose.

Tuli Letuligasenoa (91) joins in loosening-up exercises with fellow defensive linemen Jacob Bandes (55), Faatui Tuitele (99) and Bradley McGannon (97).

Tuli Letuligasenoa chases after a California running back during their game in Berkeley last season.

Tuli Letuligasenoa swallows an Oregon runner whole in their 2021 game in Seattle.

Tuli Letuligasenoa seems overly upbeat as he goes through this spring football drill in 2021.

Tuli Letuligasenoa bull rushes past an Oregon State offensive lineman as he gets into the Beavers backfield.

Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne gets hauled to the ground by Tuli Letuligasenoa.

Tuli Letuligasenoa comes away with his chest puffed out after getting into the Montana badkfield in 2021.

The Husky with the longest last name on the team has been a true survivor in a difficult job.

In 2021, Letuligasenoa was part of the Tuli and Taki show, with their comparable names and squatty bodies, but Taki Taimani fled the scene and transferred to Oregon where he's accepted a much lesser role.

Letuligasenoa is still hanging around Montlake while running back Jay'Veon Sunday, one of those he liked to torment, likewise has moved on and dropped down a level to play for Abilene Christian.

Those two really got after it in Jimmy Lake's one and only spring ball, with Sunday presenting himself as a high-stepping showboat or fool, depending on who you talk to, and Letuligasenoa screaming at him for his brash antics and finally knocking the intemperate Texan on his backside and reveling in the violence of the moment.

VIDEO: Check out Tuli Letuligasenoa's dance steps in a 2021 practice.

Letuligasenoa, who originally committed to USC before flipping to the Huskies, is not the greatest defensive lineman in the Pac-12. He's a little on the short side. As far as rewards go, he was an honorable-mention all-conference pick in 2021 but received no accolades last year though he probably played better.

Instead, he's someone who takes a lot of punishment, hits a lot of people and provides the defense with a steady heartbeat. He's started 24 games, more than any other player on the roster. He's been named the UW Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two seasons.

He's a set-up guy for others, plugging holes and holding his ground. It's a dirty job and someone's got to do it. Luckily for the Huskies, Letuligasenoa doesn't mind getting dirty.

TULI LETULIGASENOA FILE

Service: The workmanlike Letuligasenoa has appeared in 41 games, second on the team, and started a team-high 24 over five previous seasons.

Stats: In his UW career, he has 90 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 7 pass deflections and incredibly an interception against Arizona in 2021.

Role: He's been the starter for the past two seasons and he'll log a third year of game-opening assignments this fall. Only an injury might get in his way, but he hardly acknowledges them.

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