UW Spring Preview: Everyone Returns on Reliable Rather than Dominant D-Line

Once Kalen DeBoer's football coaching staff got unpacked in Montlake, fixing the University of Washington's overly generous defensive line was one of its pressing issues.

After doing a damage assessment, the new regime concluded it would upgrade by using available talent rather than running to the transfer portal for help — and largely trust in demanding position coach Inoke Breckterfield to get results out of the players he inherited.

This approach worked well. With the D-linemen doing their part, the Huskies gave up 121.2 yards rushing per game in 2022, down from a rather pitiful 193.6 the season before. They allowed five runners to crack the 100-yard threshold against them, a drop from seven.

DeBoer's staff put its faith in Tuli Letulagasenoa and Faatui Tuitele, veteran defensive tackles who proved to be more reliable than overly dominant players. Tuitele started all 13 games, the well-worn Letuligasenoa all but one. These guys aren't going to go all Steve Emtman on you, they just did what was needed.

With UW spring football practice getting an extra-early start on March 6, we take a look at each position group going into the 15 workouts and spring game, beginning with the defensive front.

The Huskies actually thinned their defensive-line ranks rather than added to them in approaching last season. Unproductive two-year starter Sam "Taki" Taimani — he of the no sacks in 29 UW games — opted to transfer to Oregon and little-used Noah Ngalu and Draco Bynum proved were urged to move on.

Tuli Letuligasenoa is back for a sixth UW season, bringing 41 games played to the mix, the second-highest number for any returning Husky.

Faatui Tuitele started every Husky game in 2022, just one of two returning defensive players who could make that claim, with linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala the other.

At 6-foot-1 and 258 pounds, Voi Tunuufi is the smallest DL candidate and could end up as an edge rusher before his UW career ends. Yet he's a playmaker with 8 sacks in two seasons.

Jacob Bandes enters his fifth season with the Huskies, having appeared in 31 games and started twice, and is looking for more.

Ulumoo Ale, with his 6-foot-6, 340-pound frame, made the transition from offensive line to the defensive side last season and appeared in 11 games.

With just one year of high school football behind him, Siaosi Finau has been ingratiating himself to the college level. His weight has fluctuated 30 pounds. He's got three games in.

Jayvon Parker, a twin from Michigan, surprised everyone by coming in and playing eight games as a freshman and burning his redshirt status. He picked up a sack in the Apple Cup.

Armon Parker, the other twin, injured a knee playing basketball back home in Detroit, had surgery and missed his freshman season. He'll make his debut in spring practice.

The Huskies went all the way to Minnesota to find and sign Elinneus Davis, their only defensive lineman in the incoming recruiting class. He's got college size already.

In his new Pac-12 surroundings, Taimani played only as a reserve for the Ducks last fall, still looking for that elusive first career sack after 40 college games, while Ngalu dropped down to the junior-college ranks and Bynum appeared to leave football altogether.

The 6-foot-1, 307-pound Letuligasenoa is a sixth-year senior who was so physically banged up at times he didn't start or play much against Arizona State. Yet he held his ground for 30 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, and continually got his hands in the air to deflect 4 passes. His defensive coaches admired his resilience.

The 6-foot-3, 302-pound Tuitele, a fifth-year junior, and inside linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala are the only returning defensive players who started every UW game in 2022. Tuitele finished with a modest 12 tackles, which included a half tackle for loss and a half sack, and he knocked down a pair of passes. But he showed up every game.

For the coming season, the Huskies will count on these guys again, yet try to pull more out of them in terms of playmaking abilities. Tuitele returns with just 3.5 career sacks in 30 games, Letuligaseno 2 in 41 outings.

Behind them are seven scholarship players who bring decidedly different attributes to this position group in terms of size, experience and family lineage.

Ulumoo Ale, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound sixth-year senior and converted offensive lineman, had 11 tackles in 11 games in 2022, starting once, and dealt with nagging injuries.

The smallest guy of the bunch, Voi Tunuufi, is a 6-foot-1, 258-pound junior who has been a play-maker since joining the Huskies. He came up with 5 sacks, giving him 8 in his two seasons. He may yet become an edge rusher before leaving the UW.

Add to them 6-foot-2, 292-pound Jacob Bandes, a fifth-year junior who has started one game in each of the past two seasons; 6-foot-3, 271-pound sophomore Siaosi Finau, who appeared in three games; incoming 6-foot-3, 295-pound freshman Elinneus Davis from Minnesota; and the always intriguing Parker twins, Jayvon and Armon.

The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Jayvon played in eight games because he was needed and picked up a sack, in the process burning his redshirt season, while the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Armon will be making his debut in spring practice after hurting a knee playing basketball, having surgery and missing his first year in Montlake. So promising, these two mirror images ultimately could end up playing side by side in the future.

The Huskies have plenty to work with, they just need more big plays from this largely veteran crew.

UW DEFENSIVE-LINE CANDIDATES

Tuli Letuligaseno, 6-1, 307, Sr., 41 games played, 24 starts, 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention

Faatui Tuitele, 6-3, 302, Jr., 30 games played, 18 starts

Jacob Bandes, 6-2, 292, Jr., 31 games played, 2 starts

Voi Tunuufi, 6-1, 258, Jr., 24 games played, 2 starts

Ulumoo Ale, 6-6, 340, Sr., 40 games played 11 starts (10 on offense)

Siaosi Finau, 6-3, 271, So., 3 games played

Jayvon Parker, 6-3, 312, So., 8 games played

Armon Parker, 6-3, 314, R-Fr., ready to debut

Elinneus Davis, 6-3, 295, Fr., ready to debut

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