Bainivalu, Curne Could Go Head to Head After Being Side by Side

The battle for right guard could pit these two veterans against each other.

Going all the way back to the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl, to Chris Petersen's final game as the University of Washington football coach, Henry Bainivalu and Victor Curne have been together on the Husky offensive line, side by side, inseparable.

One at right tackle, the other at right guard.

That's 19 consecutive games working simultaneously in the trenches, 18 as starters. Curne took the field as a reserve in Vegas sometime during the second quarter in Vegas and received his first meaningful minutes as a Husky. Bainivalu became a starter for the first time the game before, in the Apple Cup.

During their pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bainivalu and Curne each were named All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Both took a bow.

Last fall, these players each started all 12 games but the UW offensive line didn't produce anywhere near expected and they received no recognition. In fact, both guys wound up sharing series with others in the second half of multiple games.

Which brings us to the fast-approaching fall camp and what might offer a most interesting situation — Bainivalu and Curne could be competing for the same job.

During spring practice, Curne made the move to right guard and ran with the No. 1 offense throughout the month of April.  

Bainivalu, while suited up for most workouts, nursed some sort of injury that made him limited in what he could do. In short, no contact.

Henry Bainivalu has played in 40 games at right guard, starting 18 / UW Athletics

There's nothing to say that Curne won't return to right tackle, but Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff, which includes holdover offensive-line coach Scott Huff, seems bent on moving people  around, making things far more competitive up front and drawing out the production that escaped the Huskies in 2021.

Bainivalu vs. Curne, if it happens, would be one of the better position battles on the team. 

One's a sixth-year senior, the other a fifth-year junior.

Both play in the 320-330 weight range.

They've been battle-tested, rewarded and, along with everyone else on the line last season, criticized.

---

UW RIGHT GUARD DEPTH

1) Henry Bainivalu, 6-6, 330, Sr., Sammamish, Wash.

2) Victor Curne, 6-4, 320, Jr., Houston

3) Myles Murao, 6-3, 320, R-Fresh., Torrance, Calif. 

---

If we were to pick one of these veteran players as the right guard starter, and find justification for doing it, it would be Bainivalu. He's slightly more experienced, taller and heavier, and, besides, he didn't move to a new position.

Curne, however, might be a little more athletic, hence the reason the Texan just spent two seasons as a starter at right tackle. He's appeared in 23 games during his Husky career.

For each player, they're approaching a make-it or break-it point if they want to be an NFL player. Bainivalu has a final season to show the scouts what he can do and maybe get on someone's draft board. He's appeared in 40 UW games and could stand to play another dozen or more to spur greater interest in him. 

Victor Curne has played in 23 UW games at right tackle, starting 16 / Dan Raley

With his ample size, Bainivalu emerged from suburban Skyline High School as one of the top players at any position in Washington state and one of the top tackles in the country, making a switch to guard once he got to the UW.

Entering last season, Bainivalu showed enough promise that he was named to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is given to college football's top lineman, offensive or defensive. He needs to show more.

Conclusion: Bainivalu simply can't afford to lose his starting job to Curne if he intends to give the NFL a try. He has to be feeling a greater sense of urgency than his teammate because the clock is ticking on him and his football career. Curne has two seasons of eligibility remaining to sell himself to the pros, but a productive 2022 could put him in next April's draft, which no doubt is preferable to him. Behind them, the highly touted Myles Murao has spent two injury-filled seasons with the Huskies and hasn't played in a game yet, and he's bound to get healthy one of these days and make people get out of his way.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky FanNation stories as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Husky FanNation on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky FanNation on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven