Inside The Huskies

UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Luke Wattenberg Is the True Husky Ironman

The sixth-year center stands to break program records for games played and started.
Dan Raley|
UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Luke Wattenberg Is the True Husky Ironman
UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Luke Wattenberg Is the True Husky Ironman

Luke Wattenberg owns the longest hair of any University of Washington football player, depending on the fluff in Asa Turner's stringy mane on any given day, and the longest game-day bio of any Husky.

He's back for a sixth college football season, an amazing fifth year as a UW starter, and he's just now beginning to draw individual honors. He's played in more games (42) and started more of them (36) than any other active player in Montlake.

Wattenberg, if he can stay healthy for another full regular-season schedule, stands to start and appear in more games than anyone else in program history. He would surpass cornerback Desmond Trufant, a first-teamer in 47 of 50 games played in 2009-2012 and now in the NFL. 

This snapper is the true Husky Ironman.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Wattenberg from Trabuco Canyon, California, possesses as much football talent as he does collegiate endurance. Some analysts list him among the nation's top 20 offensive linemen and have graded him out as the Pac-12's top center.

He's the man in the middle of five returning Husky starters and part of the heaviest offensive line fielded by the school.

"Any time you can spend two years around the same guys, all five guys, it's a big deal," Wattenberg said. "We all have had game experience, no rookies really, and it's awesome."

Going down the roster in numerical order, this is another of our post-spring assessments of all of the Husky talent at hand, gleaned from a month of observations, as a way to keep everyone engaged during the offseason.

Wattenberg wears No. 76, a jersey he has all to himself. Offensive linemen Kurt Gegner, Mike Briggs, Joe Sanford and Benji Olson previously made it noteworthy. No one will have it longer than its current wearer. 

A longstanding pillar of UW football, first for coach Chris Petersen and now Jimmy Lake, Wattenberg started at left guard for a pair of seasons and, as a redshirt freshman, at left tackle, the lineman's NFL money position.  

During the peak of the pandemic, Wattenberg kept his game together using a makeshift weight room he and his father assembled in the family garage in California. 

He returned to Seatle and next made the smooth transition to center, replacing NFL-bound Nick Harris, without any hiccups.

"It's probably my favorite position I've played here," he said of hiking the ball.

A noted hard worker, Wattenberg has maintained his superior strength all along, even sharing the top hang clean on the team with inside linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio in this past spring's Husky Combine. Both hoisted 365 pounds.  

Wattenberg, who was selected Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week last season for his performance in a 44-27 victory over Arizona, will bring his lengthy follicles, vast experience and offensive-line versatility back for one more go-around.

"I think I like him the most at center," UW offensive-line coach Scott Huff said. "So I feel good about him. He's making improvements every day."

Barring any unforeseen NCAA eligibility extensions, Wattenberg soon will move on to the next football level and his Husky departure will be a strange thing indeed. The NFL, however, will be glad to welcome his dependability and maybe put him to work for six years or more..

Wattenberg's 2021 Outlook: Projected starting center

UW Service Time: Played in 42 games, started 36

Stats: 2 tackles

Individual Honors: All-Pac-12 honorable mention

Pro prospects: 2022 NFL third-day draftee

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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