Ngalu Becomes Third Player to Leave Huskies Since Spring Ball Ended
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Little-used defensive tackle Noa Ngalu on Thursday became the third University of Washington player to enter the transfer portal since spring football concluded.
A sophomore from East Palo Alto, California, the 6-foot-2, 299-pound Ngalu never made much of a move up the depth chart for two coaching staffs and decided it was time to go.
Previously, sophomore cornerback Jacobe Covington and redshirt freshman running back Caleb Berry left the team following the April 30 final spring scrimmage.
Ngalu appeared in just two Husky games last season and in five overall in his three-year career in Montlake.
Fixing the defensive line was made a priority entering spring ball for Kalen DeBoer's staff after the Huskies permitted 193 yards rushing per game in 2021, getting totally run over by Michigan (343) and Oregon (329).
However, the undersized Ngalu, a 3-star recruit who came to Seattle from Menlo-Atherton High School along with linebacker Daniel Heimuli, was not part of the solution this spring. He worked behind or got passed over by several players.
New defensive-line coach Inoke Breckterfield went with junior Tuli Letuligasenoa and redshirt freshman Kuao Peihopa as the starters throughout most of the April workouts. Sophomore Voi Tunuufi often rotated into the first unit and started next to the other two when a three-man front was utilized.
Sophomore Jacob Bandes and junior and converted offensive guard Ulumoo Ale pulled most of the second-team snaps, with redshirt freshman Siaosi Finau inserted at times.
That left Noa Ngalu and 6-foot-4, 282-pound junior Draco Bynum often as the odd men out.
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