The Husky football season begins next month and it’s a great time to begin projecting the week one starters for Washington. We took a look at the possible starters in the secondary already, and now we move up to the front seven. Only two majority of the starters return from last season’s 14-win program on the defensive side of the ball. Washington added a few transfers on defense, and it will look a little different under Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator. Big Ten Media Days are later in July, and the Fall camp will get underway shortly thereafter. But based on the things we’ve observed at Spring practice and over the offseason, here’s what the Washington front seven could look like for game one on August 31st.
Predicting Washington’s Starting Front Seven
Linebacker: Alphonzo Tuputala
At linebacker, the Washington defense will see one of its everyday starters from last season return for 2024. Alphonzo Tuputala started all 14 games where he was available last season as a linebacker for the Huskies. He has played over 570 snaps in each of the last two seasons, making him one of the more experienced players on this defense overall. Tuputala is another one of the six sixth-year seniors on this team, and he’s played at least one game in every season since 2019. Last year, Tuputala was fourth on the team in tackles. That ranked just behind another linebacker on the depth chart who is poised to start alongside Tuputala this fall.
Linebacker: Carson Bruener
That other linebacker is Carson Bruener. He played in all 15 games for Washington last season, making one start. That start was against Oregon State, the one game Tuputala was unavailable due to injury. This season, Bruener is a great bet to slide up in the rotation and emerge as an everyday linebacker for the Huskies. Despite only starting once in 2023, Bruener was third on the team in tackles, with 17 more than Tuputala. Bruener was a class of 2020 recruit, making him among the older members of the team as a fifth-year player. The linebacker has played over 1,000 snaps in his career at Washington. He figures to begin tallying starts to his resume this fall.
EDGE: Zach Durfee
Zach Durfee has the physical pieces to be a real force on the EDGE this fall in the Washington front seven. He did, however, suffer an arm injury requiring surgery back in April. But Jedd Fisch said he believes the former Sioux Falls defender will be cleared by the time Fall camp rolls around. Durfee had 11 sacks in 2022 as a redshirt freshman at Sioux Falls. He enrolled at Washington ahead of Spring practice in 2023 but had his eligibility waivers denied as a double transfer. Durfee was a student at North Dakota State in 2020. At 6’-5” and just over 250 pounds, the Minnesota native is quick, athletic, and has the ideal size for his position. Durfee is a forceful defender who played with the first team during his shortened time on the field this Spring. He likely sees his first start in the Big Ten come August.
EDGE: Isaiah Ward
There will probably be a lot of rotation at EDGE with the depth of talent Washington has at the position. But opposite of Durfee, Isaiah Ward is a who we’d slate to start on week one. The Arizona transfer started 11 games last season for Fisch in Tucson. That is the most of any EDGE rusher on this year’s Washington roster. As a redshirt freshman last year, Ward had four sacks, five tackles for loss, and 32 tackles, getting on the field for 470 snaps. The new Husky is 6’-5” and 227 pounds, and like Durfee, brings fierce athleticism to the EDGE. The mix of his game experience, physicality, and quickness make Ward a solid starting option for the Huskies on the outside edge of the Washington front seven.
Defensive Tackle: Sebastian Valdez
Along the interior defensive line, Sebastian Valdez is an experienced player who transferred in from Montana State this Winter. He played three full seasons in Bozeman including his true freshman year. In total, he tallied 15.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss with over 1,700 snaps played. Valdez started his first game in week eight of his freshman season in 2021. Since then, he’s started every game of which he’s been available. On the defensive line, Valdez has excellent strength. This Spring, he told us he can bench 405 pounds, and it’s evident when he’s on the field. Valdez made a lot of plays in the backfield and was effective in stuffing the run during Washington’s scrimmages in April. The former Bobcat should keep his starting streak going in the Big Ten on this Washington defense.
Defensive Tackle: Jacob Bandes
There are a handful of interior defensive linemen that will be in the rotation this fall. But at this point, Jacob Bandes would probably be best suited to start if the season began tomorrow. Bandes is one of the six sixth-year seniors on the team, and he’s played in every Washington game dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season. In that time, he’s been on the field for north of 740 snaps and picked up 47 tackles and three tackles for loss. Another key physical attribute of Bandes is his size. Like Valdez, Bandes is over 300 pounds and can take up space on the interior. When looking at potential starters to begin the season, experience and physicality are critical. Bandes has both and would be a solid pick to start this season in that Washington front seven.
