Bandes Gets His Shot to Be More Than UW Band-Aid in the Trenches

The sixth-year senior has a chance to go out as a full-time starter for the Huskies.

Jacob Bandes is a sixth-year senior defensive tackle for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Everyone has to be a little zany to be a college football player, where nearly every violent collision on the field is a lot like being in a serious car accident and finding a way to come out of it with your body intact. It's a survival technique.

Luckily for Jacob Bandes, he's fully insured. Entering his sixth season at the University of Washington, the 6-foot-3, 307-pound defensive tackle has played in every Husky game -- 45 consecutive -- dating back to the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.

What's different for Bandes now, if he can pull all of this off, is he has a chance to be a season-opening starter for the first time in his lengthy UW career. If all goes well against Weber State, he presumably would become a first-teamer again against Eastern Michigan, with consecutive starts another first for him.

As the Huskies put together a new defense made to order for the Big Ten under the direction of Steve Belichick, the journeyman Bandes might be the most critical piece -- the difference between it working at top efficiency or not.

While the Huskies appear to have proficient edge rushers, linebackers and defensive backs entering this season, the defensive push up front remains somewhat of an unknown, especially after the previous crew, which included Bandes, gave up an overly generous 303 yards rushing to Michigan. in the CFP national championship game.

For now, Montana State transfer Sebastian Valdez, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound strong man, and Bandes appear to be first up in fulfilling this responsibility for the coming season, with the latter encouraged by first-year UW coach Jedd Fisch to take fulll advantage of the opportunity.

"We've spent a lot of time, Jacob and I, talking about how he can impact the team," Fisch said. "He's got such a strong voice. so you can always impact positively or negatively, depending on how you want to handle yourself, and he's handled himself terrific."

Speaking of zany, Bandes previously fit that description all the way. He was the guy singing loudly while walking from the locker room to the East practice field. He was the funny one, jumping on a teammate's back while leaving the field. He was the impulsive one spotted chest-bumping a surprised but nonetheless pleased Kalen DeBoer last year during stretching.

Lately, Bandes seems much more serious about life in Montlake and dedicated to finishing strong in his college football career. He was the 4-star recruit who turned down Clemson to come play for the Huskies only to get stuck in a support role. He's pulled minutes in all of those UW games over five seasons, but mostly as a career-long sub -- drawing spot starts only against Michigan, Arizona State and Michigan State, one a season -- and it appears he wants more than that.

Jacob Bandes always has something to offer during UW practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Bandes looks noticeably more fit as he competes for the No. 1 job with 6-foot-1, 280-pound returning senior Voi Tunuufi and 6-foot-2, 368-pound Miami transfer Logan Sagapolu, with 6-foot-3, 297-pound junior Jayvon Parker a factor until he pulled up gimpy in practice. Bandes comes out much more businesslike now than simply full of bravado. He's been told he has an effect on people.

"The guys really respond to him,'" Fisch said. "The guys love his effort and the energy he plays with. He'll always be positive and that's what I like about him."

Fisch will like him even better if Bandes can control the line of scrimmage, get into the backfield at times and make the other side feel real uncomfortable.

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