Inside The Huskies

Washington's Edge Depth Will Be Tested in 2023

How well can Washington's depth on the edge step up in case of emergency?
Roman Tomashoff|
Washington's Edge Depth Will Be Tested in 2023
Washington's Edge Depth Will Be Tested in 2023

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Washington Huskies

Washington's defensive line has drawn a lot of hype throughout the offseason thanks to the combination of Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui. Trice recently was named to both Walter Camp and Athlon's Preseason first-team All-America teams for the 2023 season, while Tupuola-Fetui is looking to return to the form that got him elected to the 2020 Pro Football Focus second-team All-America unit.

Yet there will be questions about some of the pieces behind them. No doubt there's a lot of talent at the position behind what is arguably the best duo of edge rushers in the conference, but with practices starting up in less than a month, what can be expected from the rest of the room?

Sioux Falls transfer Zach Durfee had an impressive spring. Edge rushers coach Eric Schmidt gushed about his burst and athleticism and as he becomes more comfortable in the defense, and looks like he could be a productive player for the Huskies.

The same can be said about redshirt sophomore Maurice Heims, who has all the tools needed to succeed at both the college and professional level. He and Durfee probably will be the backups at the position on the depth chart and Heims should take a big leap forward in his development with a huge uptick in his snap count.

Sekai Asoau-Afoa should also be expected to fill the void left by Jeremiah Martin, but the junior college transfer looked able in run support during spring practice. He might rotate with Voi Tunuufi, who is the definition of a pure pass rusher.

Behind them are even more questions. Walk-on Milton Hopkins, who held his own during spring practice while running with the second team, is still making a transition from inside linebacker to edge rusher. True freshmen Anthony James and Jacob Lane both look like they can be solid contributors in the future, but relying on them to take significant snaps in their first year on campus would mean something has gone seriously wrong with someone else.

The Huskies have a lot to be excited about on the edge behind the starters, but with most of the room lacking significant snaps at the Power 5 level, fall camp is going to be important for the coaching staff in evaluating the edge position for 2023 and beyond.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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