Inside The Huskies

Bulabalavu Becomes 3rd DL to Ask for UW Scholarship Release

The military academy product makes his move after Husky coaching change.

Dan Raley

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The University of Washington football public-address announcer just got a big reprieve for next season. Otherwise, no one else in Montlake had to be happy that Ratumana Bulabalavu took his name out of the mix and will enter the transfer portal.

On Wednesday night, the newly signed freshman defensive tackle from the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California, revealed to 247sports he has asked for his scholarship release in lieu of the Husky coaching change from Kalen DeBoer to Jedd Fisch.

Bulabalavu becomes the seventh freshman of 15 to opt out of his Huskies scholarship since the coaching change. It was eight until St. John Bosco linebacker Khmori House asked out and then reaffirmed he was staying earlier on Wednesday.

The Huskies have now had three of their four new defensive linemen request a release, with Arizona recruits Noah Carter and Keona Wilhite earlier turning to the portal. Only Texas defensive tackle Omar Khan remains on the UW roster.  

“I talked with the coaches and they took it well, they weren’t too hostile,” Bulabalavu told the recruiting website. “They said they want to remain an option for me but also said they have to start recruiting my spot just in case, and I get that."

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Bulabalavu was a 4-star recruit who brought plenty of intrigue to the Huskies after piling up 19 sacks for his military boarding school north of San Diego.

While a player rightfully shouldn't have to play for a college football coaching staff that didn't initially win his services, what's almost laughable is all of these relationships change radically once a player gets on campus.

Everything is sweet talk and praise during the recruiting process. Head to that first practice, and everything changes. That once best friend of an assistant coach is now yelling at you, demanding more from you, hardly worried about your feelings.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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