Tuputala, Ulofoshio Have Been Teammates, Roommates, Soon to be Starters Together

Up and down the University of Washington starting lineup, the Huskies offer dynamic duos, pairs of high-powered, highly-productive guys who play off each other while manning the same position.

Most prominent would be elite wide receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, who return to action this fall with a combined 154 receptions in tow from the previous season.

At edge rusher are the overly disruptive Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, both first-team All-Pac-12 selections in their careers, though their moments of glory came two seasons apart.

On the offensive edges are the extra nimble and comparable tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten, both decorated returning starters and NFL prospects.

Not to be outdone in this Noah's Ark way of doing Husky football business, by any means, are veteran linebackers Alphonzo Tuputala and Edefuan Ulofoshio, long-lost football brothers finally reunited on the second row as the No. 1 guys after many trials and tribulations.

Dealing with career arcs and injuries, they've previously had to watch each other do his thing rather than share in game-opening responsibilities together.

"When I first came here and I was on the traveling team, me and him were roommates," Tuputala said of the 2019 Husky football campaign. "During that time when Eddie broke out and had a season, I was there to witness really everything that he did behind the scenes and I was there with him.

"We're kind of like brother to brother, working on each other and always feeding off one another."

However, similar to siblings separated at birth, they haven't been able to enjoy the same high level of UW linebacker success and be side by side when the game begins — until now.

Ulofoshio was a starter at the end of 2019, during the following pandemic-shortened 2020 season and halfway though 2021 until he first tore a bicep muscle and then suffered a knee injury.

Tuputala was a well-utilized reserve whose program progress stalled some when he shredded his Achilles heel during 2021 spring practice. He returned to action that season as a reserve linebacker just as Ulofoshio the first-teamer was injured and lost for the season against UCLA.

In Ulofoshio's absence, a fully recovered Tuputala made his move and earned a starting linebacker spot in 2022 once Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff took over. Ulofoshio was left to watch his buddy flourish and then returned as a reserve for the final five games last fall, still not back as a starter.

Finally, these two players and long-time pals are together as starting Husky linebacker for the first time with this season about to commence.

All along, they've watched film together until late into the night and shared their football insights with everyone in their position group, but this simultaneous starting stuff is new to them.

These veteran linebackers certainly are seasoned. They will have 11 UW seasons between them once this one wraps. Meantime, their long football journey will finally culminate with them as game-opening players at the same time, for the first time, once they take the field on Saturday afternoon against Boise State. With them both healthy, the coaches really had no choice but to hand them the keys to the linebacker duties.

"The one thing that you do see is Edefuan Ulofoshio and Alphonzo Tuputala, [and] we're different when they're on the football field," co-defensive coordinator William Inge said of the Husky defense.

They have ample credentials while going it alone as starters. Ulofoshio earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2020, while Tuputala was an honorable-mention selection last fall.

The Husky defense stands to benefit greatly in their collective toughness, experience, playmaking and turnover potential with them both answering the opening bell. While there is a newness to this specific linebacker partnership, there's an overall familiarity otherwise.

"This relationship was built," Tuputala said, "and when we go out there, it will feel like it."

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