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ZTF Picking Up Rewards Like Sacks, Named to Bednarik Watch List

The Husky edge rusher continues to pile up accolades.
Dan Raley|
ZTF Picking Up Rewards Like Sacks, Named to Bednarik Watch List
ZTF Picking Up Rewards Like Sacks, Named to Bednarik Watch List

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Washington Huskies

Keep Zion Tuputala-Fetui healthy. It's absolutely mandatory for the University of Washington football program to do that this season. Have him in one piece and of sound mind, and the Huskies send one of the nation's top players out there on Saturdays. 

Maintain ZTF's availability at all times, and most likely the UW doesn't finish a woeful 4-8 last fall. Wind him up and let him go, and the Husky defense doesn't get trampled. Hey, maybe even a coaching change doesn't take place.

ZTF and offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland are the pillars of new coach Kalen DeBoer's first football team in Montlake, as confirmed by all of the preseason honors they're attracting, including a few more this week.

Tupuola-Fetui turns up on the Chuck Bednarik Award 90-player watch list, which is given out to the nation's top defensive player, for which this UW defender rightfully deserves consideration. 

Bednarik, who died in 2015 at 89, was a nasty two-time All-America linebacker for the University of Pennsylvania, a 10-time All-Pro pick for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and one of the pro game's last two-way players. 

ZTF was on the verge of all sorts of personal accolades when he burst onto the college scene in 2020 with seven sacks. Then three things happened: 1) the pandemic ended the UW season and the edge rusher's heroics after four games; 2) he tore an Achilles heel tendon 16 months ago; 3) and he suffered a concussion that ended his 2021 season prematurely after he had showed up at midseason. 

He's one of seven Pac-12 players to earn Bednarik Award recognition, sharing it with Washington State defensive end Ron Stone, USC defensive tackle Tuli Tuipulotu, Utah cornerback Clark Phillips, Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell and Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights. 

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 1, the three finalists will be unveiled on Nov. 22 and the winner will be named as part of the ESPN College Football Awards Show on Dec. 8. The formal presentation of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards live from Atlantic City, N.J., on March 10.

Earlier, ZTF was named as the nation's No. 5 edge rusher by Pro Football Focus, and the No. 9 player at his position by Farrell Sports. Before that, he and Husky linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio appeared on the Walter Camp All-America Team, with the edge rusher earning a first-team selection and Ulofoshio appearing on the second team. That team is shown here:

WALTER CAMP ALL-AMERICA TEAM

First Team Preseason Offense

WR: Jordan Addison (USC), Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Ohio State). TE: Brock Bowers (Georgia). OL: Peter Skoronski (Northwestern), Andrew Vorhees (USC), O’Cyrus Torrence (Florida), Caleb Chandler (Louisville). C: Jarrett Patterson (Notre Dame). QB: Bryce Young (Alabama). RB: Bijan Robinson (Texas), TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State). PK: Jake Moody (Michigan).

First Team Preseason Defense

DL: Bryan Bresee (Clemson), Jalen Carter (Georgia), Zion Tupuola-Fetui (Washington), Andre Carter II (Army West Point). LB: Will Anderson (Alabama), Trenton Simpson (Clemson), Noah Sewell (Oregon). DB: Cam Smith (South Carolina), Eli Ricks (Alabama), Kelee Ringo (Georgia), Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M). P: Adam Korsak (Rutgers). KR: Brian Battie (South Florida).

Second Team Preseason Offense

WR: Xavier Worthy (Texas), Kayshon Boutte (LSU). TE: Michael Mayer (Notre Dame). OL: John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota), Dawand Jones (Ohio State), Jordan McFadden (Clemson), Zach Frazier (West Virginia). C: Olusegun Oluwatimi (Michigan). QB: Caleb Williams (USC). RB: Sean Tucker (Syracuse)#, Blake Corum (Michigan). PK: Noah Ruggles (Ohio State).

Second Team Preseason Defense

DL: Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh), Gervon Dexter (Florida), Jaxon Player (Baylor), Jacob Slade (Michigan State). LB: Edefuan Ulofoshio (Washington), Ivan Pace, Jr. (Cincinnati), Carlton Martial (Troy). DB: Steven Jones, Jr. (Appalachian State), Riley Moss (Iowa), Clark Phillips III (Utah), Brandon Joseph (Notre Dame). P: Kyle Ostendorp (Arizona). KR: Charlie Jones (Purdue).

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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