ZTF's Back and Here's Why It Took Him Longer Than Expected
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It took parts of three football seasons, an Achilles tendon rupture, a season-ending concussion, an in-season coaching change and a few shades of multi-hued hair, but the Zion Tupuola-Fetui everyone grew to know and run away from in 2020 finally reappeared against Stanford at Husky Stadium.
He was entertaining and frightening all at once again. He was a horror movie in pads. The Nightmare on Mountlake Boulevard.
"It was fun watching him get after it, like you said, like he knows how," UW coach Kalen DeBoer said.
This was the University of Washington edge rusher affectionately known as ZTF who during the height of the pandemic drew attention to himself with seven sacks, including three strip sacks, before COVID abruptly ended the Huskies' season after four games.
He had every reason to believe he next could play a full season, run up a bunch of numbers again and make himself possibly an NFL first-rounder, but his Achilles thought otherwise. It came unraveled on a non-contact play during spring practice in 2021 and he headed straight to surgery and rehab.
This Hawaii native from Pearl City, a community that looks out on Pearl Harbor, returned last fall only to get knocked silly after playing just five games and having his season end. He returned this fall only to be relegated to a reserve role, albeit a heavily utilized assignment.
Everything about him looks familiar now. ZTF started for the first time this season in the Huskies' 40-22 victory over Stanford. He collected four tackles against the Cardinal, with 2.5 going for lost yards and 1.5 ending up in the sack column. His particular role doesn't matter to him.
"Whenever opportunity comes your way, whether it's off the bench or starting, you just go out and do it, do what you know you can," he said. "We have a lot of good dudes in my room, and I'm not ashamed to come off the bench if it comes to that."
Which begs the question, while considering there are multiple NFL prospects among the Husky edge rushers, what sent ZTF into more of a collaborating role?
While it seems he made a name for himself as a big-play freelancer for the previous coaching staff, the new one wants him more technically sound and disciplined coming off the corner.
"I think that's true of anybody: if you do your job, plays are going to come to you, and I think that's a great example," Husky co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell said. "Obviously ZTF is very talented, but when he's executing his individual job, then the plays show up. He made some great plays for us."
On the second scrimmage play of the game, the 6-foot-4, 249-pound ZTF stepped up and dropped Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee, who carries a 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame, hard to the artificial turf for no gain.
Two defensive series into this Pac-12 opener, ZTF and linebacker Cam Bright caught up to McKee and brought him down for a shared sack and a 7-yard loss.
In the second quarter, ZTF came barreling through and hit McKee as he released a pass and it fell incomplete.
In his grand finale of the evening, ZTF hit the helpless Cardinal quarterback once more in the fourth quarter, stripping the ball free and getting credited for a sack while teammate Faatui Tuitele recovered the loose ball.
ZTF held court with the media following his big day against Stanford, seemingly happy to be the center of attention again, though he would never admit to that. It meant he played well.
His team has accumulated 15 sacks already through four games. Heading into Friday night's game against UCLA, he ranks tied for fifth in Husky sacks with Bright, trailing fellow edge rusher Bralen Trice (4.5), linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala (3), edge rusher Jeremiah Martin (2) and defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi (2).
The season is still young yet and ZTF has a chance to ring up some big numbers and pass some or all of his teammates.
For now, he leads the team in creative celebrations, howling like a wolf and stomping around like an elephant, thoroughly enjoying himself and his inspirational role.
"He's really fun to coach," DeBoer said.
Yet ZTF is hardly fun for anyone to block, keep from getting a hand on the quarterback or prevent from stripping the football. He's back.
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