UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Pass-Catching Pelluer Heads Up Walk-On Foursome
Members of the Pelluer family have thrown and run the football, made tackles and even coached at Husky Stadium.
Midway through the University of Washington's second Saturday scrimmage in April, the latest Pelluer, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound redshirt freshman tight end named Zeke, supplied yet another family dimension.
Running up the left sideline, Pelluer slipped in between defensive backs Meki Pei and Kamren Fabiculanan, who otherwise had him closely covered. He reached up and made a difficult catch of a Camden Sirmon pass, tumbling to the ground with a 28-yard gainer.
This brought a group of animated students out of their seats, possibly frat brothers, who loudly cheered on the legacy player, the son of former UW and NFL quarterback Steve Pelluer.
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.
In this instance, we take a closer look at four of the 28 walk-ons who participated in the 15 spring workouts, which include a pair of tight ends and a couple of placekickers, beginning with the latest Pelluer.
Zeke Pelluer
He was a quarterback at suburban Lake Washington High School, similar to his accomplished father, who started the 1982 Rose Bowl and was named the 1983 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, before an injury forced Zeke to change positions.
While he's part of an ultra-deep tight-end room, competing against seven scholarship players and three other walk-ons, Pelluer has received game time, appearing in last season's win over Arizona.
This Pelluer pulls on No. 39, which he has all to himself, and is 23 digits higher than what his father wore. He's got the size and the athleticism to become a scholarship player, yet he's in the deepest UW room for young, position talent.
Jarrett North
This Southern California player provides another able foot behind Peyton Henry and Tim Horn, having worked extensively with former NFL kicker John Carney, who spent 22 years in pro football, most of it with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints.
North enrolled at the UW nine days before spring practice began, resuming his football career after his 2020 season for Calabasas High School in Agoura Hills, California, was canceled because of the pandemic. As the video below shows, he went right to work.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound North didn't miss an extra-point kick in three seasons of play, two of which came at Oaks Christian School. He wears No. 38, which he shares with walk-on wide receiver Camden VerStrate.
Carson Smith
Another Southern Californian, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Smith was once committed to Idaho State of the Big Sky but chose to walk on at the UW.
At Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, he was known more for his prowess at defensive end rather than tight end. As a senior in 2018, he collected 12 tackles for loss, including 9 sacks, compared to just 4 receptions for 34 yards and 2 touchdowns on offense.
One of 11 UW tight ends, he wears No. 42, sharing it with outside linebacker Carson Bruener, the son of Mark, one of the Huskies' most notable tight ends in program history.
Addison Shrock (85), Race Porter (46), Jarrett North (38) and Triston Brown (32) look for a place to kick.
Dan Raley
Addison Shrock
The final member of this foursome is another placekicker, though this one didn't play football until his senior year at Squalicum High School in Bellingham, Washington.
That didn't prevent him from successfully launching a school-record 45 extra-point kicks and earning second-team all-conference honors.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Shrock wears No. 85 for the Huskies, which he has all to himself on the roster.
Collective 2021 Outlook: Projected reserves
UW Service Time: Pelluer 1 game
Stats: None
Individual Honors: None
Pro prospects: None
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