Of the candidates seeking an edge rusher position at the University of Washington, Isaiah Ward brings unmatched credentials: 11 starts at Arizona in 2023, including a dominant performance against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
Zach Durfee, so big and fast, is by far the most hyped Husky in this position group, despite only appearing in the Sugar Bowl against Texas last season. Some say this 6-foot-5, 250-pound Minnesota native could be a cheap version of JJ Watt, the Wisconsin native and legendary NFL player.
ZZ Anybody?
Added to that list are Russell Davis II, a transfer from Arizona and son of a former Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman and Super Bowl winner, and the promising Deshawn Lynch, a transfer from Sacramento State who will start 13 games in 2023. Also included are Husky holdovers Jacob Lane, Lance Holtzclaw and Maurice Heims, who have played in 9, 14 and 21 games respectively in their careers.
Oh, and one more name – Jayden Wayne.
A local guy. A big guy. A guy with unlimited potential.
Wayne, of Tacoma, Washington, a priority recruit for the class of 2023, visited UW many times but was unwilling to commit to either Jimmy Lake or Kalen DeBoer and eventually signed with Miami, played as a freshman in 2023 and transferred to Montlake last spring.
Jason Kaufusi, defensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin, offers the following initial assessment: “I think he still has a lot of work to do.”
When the Huskies first entered full contact on Tuesday, Wayne came into the practice game on either the second or third pair of edge rushers.
At 1.98 m tall and weighing 119 kg, he is the heaviest of the UW’s top eight candidates.
He looked skillful as he fought his way through the blockers and up the field.
However, Wayne is currently having to deal with a completely new football environment.
“Whether it’s the choice of words or the way I train, I think he’s still in the transition phase in terms of the learning curve,” Kaufusi said.
A highly touted 4-star recruit, Wayne was welcomed with open arms by Miami and appeared in eight games as a freshman, including a starter in the Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers, before deciding to return home after spring practice.
Now everyone is getting to know each other again. Both the coach and the edge rusher are learning each other’s nuances.
“It’s been really, really good for me to actually get him involved in my drills and get him moving,” Kaufusi said. “See how he bends, how he gets around corners, how strong he is at the point of attack and just go from there.”
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