Assessing the future of Washington's offensive and defensive lines

Jedd Fisch wants a big team.

Sometimes, the mailbag isn’t enough.

Subscriber “thermos” (all lowercase, which we will respect) recently submitted a question that I thought was worth breaking into its own post.

In light of the Huskies getting outmatched in the trenches on both sides of the ball, how are the next few years shaping up in terms of recruitment on the offensive and defensive lines? Are the Huskies bringing in some bigger bodies to compete with the Iowas and Penn States?

Let’s begin by zooming out. Assuming no attrition — silly, perhaps, but we only know what we know — the Huskies could return all but two of their 14 scholarship offensive linemen next season, with another five currently committed in the 2025 recruiting class. That would give them 17 for the 2025 season, with only Enokk Vimahi and D’Angalo Titialii out of eligibility.

Of that group, 13 would be third-year sophomores or younger, and it’s possible as many as nine would be listed as freshmen (four redshirt, five true). The four upperclassmen, in this scenario: seniors Gaard Memmelaar (guard) and Maximus McCree (tackle), fourth-year junior Drew Azzopardi (tackle) and junior Landen Hatchett (center, though he also plays guard). It’s not a stretch to think all four could be in the starting lineup, though several younger players — like Soane Faasolo at tackle, or Zach Henning and Paki Finau at guard — will surely push for reps, and a few of them will have gained valuable experience in 2024. Plus, Hatchett and Memmelaar could be coming off a more normal offseason, rather than recovering from long-term injuries (though Memmelaar has been banged up recently), and McCree would have his body closer to where he wants it, too, after sitting out the 2023 season (though he’s currently out with a dislocated thumb).

You never say never to the portal, and the scholarship limit increasing to 105 will give some flexibility if UW does connect with a veteran or two whom coach Jedd Fisch believes can make the Huskies better. But it seems clear he prefers to build the offensive line via good, old-fashioned high-school recruiting, and really, that’s still how it’s done at the highest levels of the sport. You’ve probably noticed that quality o-linemen are at a premium in the portal. There’s a reason for that: it takes time to develop good linemen, and as such, good linemen tend to understand they’re better off staying put rather than starting over.

To thermos’ question, Fisch has made clear he prioritizes size when building the trenches. I can distinctly recall him standing in front of the entire team, at the conclusion of an early training camp practice, and stating “I want a big team” while imploring his players to eat more. Fisch wants bigger players in order to compete in the Big Ten, yes, but that philosophy predates his time at Washington. While announcing Arizona’s 2023 signing class in December 2022, Matt Doherty, the director of player personnel who followed Fisch from Tucson to UW, sat next to the head coach and said of Arizona’s o-line and d-line recruiting: “When in doubt, we’re going to be a line-of-scrimmage centric program. I know I’m speaking for the head coach when I say that. If we’re going to miss, we’re going to miss on size — not that we’re OK with missing, that’s just kind of the mantra we live by. … We’re always going to want to err toward big bodies and having them in large quantities.”

Fisch inherited an o-line room short on experience but stocked with some pretty big dudes. Faasolo is listed at 6-8 and 325 pounds. Another 2023 signee, Elishah Jackett, is 6-7, though he needs to add weight (272) and has battled injury since arriving at UW. Kahlee Tafai is listed at 6-5 and 330 pounds and has played both guard and tackle; you might see him some at left tackle on Saturday at Indiana. Henning is listed at 6-5 and 300 pounds, and Hatchett, the most experienced player of the group, is a solid 6-2 and 310 pounds.

In the 2024 recruiting class, former coach Kalen DeBoer signed Finau (now 6-5 and 300 pounds after bulking up this summer) and Davit Boyajyan (6-5, 307), each of whom stuck with UW after the coaching change. Fisch and his staff supplemented with tackle Justin Hylkema (6-8, 323) and guard Michael Levelle Watkins (6-2, 320), each of whom had previously signed with Arizona.

The 2025 class builds on the size theme. Zac Stascausky from Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic, Jack Shaffer from Bismarck (N.D.) High and Jake Flores from San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic are each listed at 6-6, with Kennedy Catholic o-lineman Lowen Colman-Brusa listed at 6-5 and four-star San Jose (Calif.) Valley Christian guard Champ Taulealea listed at 6-4 and 325 pounds. Some, like Stascausky (listed at 275 pounds) and Flores (also 275) might need to put on more weight than others, but possess the ideal frame with which to do so. Assuming UW can keep everyone committed, that’s an ideal combination of height/length and size projection.

The Huskies currently have only one commitment from a true interior defensive lineman — Dominic Macon (6-3, 305), from Happy Valley (Ore.) Adrienne C. Nelson — so don’t be surprised if they go into the portal for help there. They did last season, when DeBoer brought in Sebastian Valdez from Montana State and Fisch converted Miami offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu to nose tackle. 

UW is set to lose both starters, Valdez and Jacob Bandes, to expiring eligibility, and at present would return a maximum of six true interior d-linemen: Sagapolu, Bryce Butler, Jayvon Parker, Armon Parker, Elinneus Davis and Omar Khan, and the Parker twins will each be coming off season-ending injuries. 

Someone like Caleb Smith, a three-star edge rusher commitment from Birmingham, Ala., also could play inside — and current players like Deshawn Lynch and Jayden Wayne have that versatility, too — but I’ll assume until further notice that UW will seek a veteran d-tackle once the portal opens. There’s more to the d-line than the interior, though, and the Huskies also have commitments from 6-foot-5 edge rushers Devin Hyde and Victor Sanchez-Hernandez, and will lose only Voi Tunuufi to expiring eligibility.

As long as Fisch is at Washington, he should always be able to convince sought-after quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends to play for the Huskies. The West Coast doesn’t produce nearly as many elite offensive and defensive linemen, though, so stockpiling size on both lines will continue to be a priority (and a challenge), especially during UW’s transition into its new league.

It ties into what the coach said Monday: “We have to be able to run the ball. That’s how we’re building Washington football for the years to come — good run game, great defense, take shots down the field on offense and be explosive and get wide receivers touchdowns. That’s what we believe in. That’s who we are. So we need to run the football if we’re going to be successful.”

— Christian Caple, On Montlake