Westover Remains UW Rarity: Walk-On and Local Guy, Now a Starter
Entering the season opener, the University of Washington football team's most competitive position battles involved the running backs, the cornerbacks and even alternating left guards.
Almost unnoticed last Saturday was Jack Westover trotting onto the field as the Huskies' starting tight end against Boise State, assuming a role more often reserved for fellow sixth-year senior Devin Culp to go first.
It was easy to overlook this casual promotion since Westover and Culp generally split game time and frequently find themselves in on the same plays.
Yet Westover not only drew the ninth start of his 38-game career, the 6-foot-3, 248-pounder from Bellevue, Washington, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass — his fourth as a Husky — from Michael Penix Jr. in the second quarter of the 56-19 victory.
What remains so awe-inspiring about his performance is the fact that Westover hardly played any high school football, after turning out late and getting injured right away, and then joined the Huskies as a walk-on, or non-scholarship player.
"I've done more than I thought I ever could, to be honest with you," Westover said this week. "I always felt, and I was always competitive, that I was going to get an opportunity here. But I'm playing with house money now."
Jack Westover drew the tight end start against Boise State.
Skylar Lin Visuals
His TD catch gave the Huskies a 28-9 lead and helped turn the Boise State game into a runaway. He finished the afternoon with 5 catches for 59 yards, trailing only much-decorated Husky wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze, who caught 8 and 7 passes, respectively.
When he came to the UW, Westover initially was groomed to be a fullback, or H-back, blocking a lot and carrying the ball occasionally. When this No. 37 caught a 3-yard touchdown pass at Arizona in 2019, fans had to scramble and check a Husky roster to see exactly who he was. Accountable was one answer. Determined was another.
"It's about gaining confidence and trust," he said. "The more times you do it in practice, the more they're going to trust you in the game and put you in those positions. It's building trust with Mike, that Mike believes you're going to be where you're going to be. It's just about trust."
Westover and the 6-foot-4, 237-pound Culp from Spokane, with their attractive size and athleticism, each are considered NFL prospects, helped by the fact the UW has a long history of turning out tight ends made for the pros.
Where Westover and Culp also prove to be different is they are homegrown players on a Husky roster that's lately been moving away from that emphasis, with the a lot of local prospects choosing to go elsewhere in this transient college football world, such as to Ohio State or Oregon, plus the state talent level is maybe not as elite as it once was.
Westover turned up as one of just five locals who started against Boise State, joined by left guard Nate Kalepo (Renton), defensive tackle Ulumoo Ale (Tacoma), linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala (Federal Way) and nickelback Mishael Powell (Seattle).
Demonstrating the will to succeed in this Husky lineup, Westover was one of three original walk-ons, counting linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio and Powell, who were starters for the opener. They've all become role models for countless players everywhere who might have been overlooked or passed on and want to play at the highest level.
"It's good to see examples like me," Westover said. "There's not a lot of local players on the team, or as much as there used to be, I'd say. It's just good to be that local guy who walked on, earned that starting role and became a solid player for this team."
It's better than that, it's really good.
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