Here's What Makes Edge Rusher Zach Durfee Potentially a Big Playmaker

The departing Eric Schmidt breaks down the game of the newcomer set to debut against Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

From University of Washington spring football to the ongoing College Football Playoff practices, Zach Durfee is virtually unrecognizable.

Whereas he first showed up as this crewcut-wearing Gerry Bertier lookalike, resembling that memorable linebacker character in the Hollywood film "Remember the Titans," these days he pulls off his gold helmet and shows off a big head of hair.

That's OK, because Durfee still doesn't resemble anyone else who plays his position in Montlake either.

Leave it to departing UW edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt to supply a somewhat scientific breakdown of the much-discussed and almost mythical Durfee, who soon will go from an NCAA banished to approved transfer and make his Husky football debut against Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

"Genetically, he's maybe the best in the room just by who can run the fastest, who can jump the highest, who's the strongest, you know what I mean," said Schmidt, not prone to hyperbole. "I think he might be pound for pound that guy."

Of course, there's a catch and every reason Husky followers shouldn't immediately crown Durfee as the Sugar Bowl MVP or christen him a Power 5 Superman just yet.

"Now is he the best football player? No," Schmidt said. "He's got a lot to work on."

Zach Durfee, left, goes one on one with a fellow UW edge rusher / Skylar Lin Visuals

That said, Schmidt indicated the Huskies will use Durfee on the big stage against the Longhorns, both in the rotation and likely on special teams, after the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Sioux Falls transfer sat out the entire season because the NCAA couldn't readily settle on a set of rules to follow.

Seeking a waiver to play right away, Durfee was deemed a double transfer for attending North Dakota State for a semester as a student only and next playing two seasons for Sioux Falls, and he was ruled ineligible. Multiple appeals were denied.

Then, just as Durfee was set to become eligible to play after attending classes at the UW for three quarters, the NCAA softened the rules and made those in a similar position immediately eligible. So he sat out for no good reason.

While he's untested at this level of college football under game conditions, Durfee demonstrated plenty of playmaking potential during Husky spring ball. He ran down guys from behind. He showed off a lot of physical skills.

Zach Durfee works a drill in which he comes off the line low and powerful / Skylar Lin Visuals

Schmidt marvels over the fact Durfee once had every intention of becoming a Division III college basketball player, before that was a high school quarterback in Minnesota, became an edge rusher at South Dakota's Division II Sioux Falls and now is an FBS defensive lineman.

The coach points out how Bralen Trice, his first-team All-Pac-12 edge rusher, plays the game in a violent manner and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, his All-Pac-12 honorable-mention pick on the other side and one-time All-Pac-12 first-teamer, relies on his quickness to get the job done

Durfee, who's enjoyed a fair amount of success in practice going up against the UW's starting offensive tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten, could be a blend of Trice and ZTF when he finally figures everything out.

"He probably has the ability to be able to play with power and the ability to be able to play with speed, and with a little bit of finesse," Schmidt said, "as much as anybody on our team."

 

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