With Ansu Sanoe, UW Needs To Take Out Collision Insurance

Physicality is what makes people stop and take a second look at this University of Washington football team, beginning with John Mills, the 18-year-old man child who fills out a 6-foot-6, 335-pound frame.

This sophomore is the Huskies' returning starter at left offensive guard and he currently plays opposite 6-foot-5, 344-pound redshirt freshman Champ Taulealea at right guard.

Equally impressive are the freshmen who were installed as starters on their first day in uniform this spring in 6-foot-6, 321-pound left offensive tackle Kodi Green and 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa.

The linebackers fit this muscle-bound category as well in 6-foot-2, 240-pound sophomore Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior Xe'ree Alexander, both 20 pounds or heavier than last season.

Add to this group an overly muscular running back no less in 6-foot-2, 241-pound freshman Ansu Sanoe, whose bulging biceps, powerful legs and cold stare made spring observers sit back and imagine him running over Big Ten tacklers in real time.

"Coming into the huddle with veteran linemen, and John Mills is a veteran now even though he's just a sophomore, and with Champ, and those big gloves tell you, 'It's going to be OK,' " running-backs coach Scottie Graham said, whimsically putting these pieces together all at once. "That's helpful for a young running back."

Ansu Sanoe, with his bulging biceps, is a menacing looking runner. | Dave Sizer photo

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.

Sanoe, whose name is of Liberian or West African descent, simply gave off a vibe like he was a new gunslinger in town once he arrived from the Portland suburbs. A lot of people tried to draw on him, too.

He made spring practice interesting with his periodic collisions while carrying the football, whether it was hit or be hit.

No encounter was more violent than the one in the ninth practice when Sanoe, with ball in hand, bowled over Rainey-Sale, sending the accomplished linebacker head over heels.

This smash-up brought starting right offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi, injured No. 1 center Landen Hatchett and Mills excitedly rushing off the sideline and onto the field to celebrate with the big back. It might have been the best hit of the spring.

Ansu Sanoe pulls in a spring practice pass. | Dave Sizer photo

As a first-year player, of course, Sanoe wasn't perfect. He fumbled a couple of times, which earned him penalty laps around the exterior of the playing field, holding onto a football as a reminder, while practice temporarily went on without him.

Yet with three backs injured in sophomore Jordan Washington and senior transfers Jayden Limar from Oregon and Trey Cooley from Troy, Sanoe and fellow freshman Brian Bonner Jr. were given more chances to run the ball in the spring than they normally would have as new guys.

"He's at a nice weight, he's moving a lot better," Graham said of Sanoe, who reported at 245 and at times was 10 pounds lighter. "But he's got a long way to go and we'll keep pushing."

Ansu Sanoe is a powerful freshman running back from Oregon. | Dave Sizer photo

What he's done: The Huskies haven't had a big back wear No. 30 and regularly ran over people since the late Junior Coffey, who was a conference leading rusher as a sophomore in 1962, helped get the UW to the 1964 Rose Bowl as a junior and enjoyed an eight-year NFL career. Sanoe drew 39 spring carries, with five runs of 10 yards or more and a long of 14 yards.

Starter or not: With his size, Sanoe looks built for the Big Ten and eventually could take his turn as the No. 1 back in the seasons ahead while he complements the UW's assorted collection of speedsters in Quaid Carr, Bonner and Washington.

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