Husky Roster Review: Durfee Is Leading Man Who Will Play Support Role

The UW is banking on immediate results from this newcomer.

Dan Raley | May 26, 2023

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Washington Huskies

As new University of Washington football players arrive in the spring and the fall, introducing themselves on and off the field, the coaches right away want to see how they play.

Media members look for that, too, but they're just as curious in learning how these newcomers think and speak for interview purposes, as well as who they might resemble on the field. After all, comparisons have always been part of the game.

In the case of Zach Durfee, the former quarterback and tight end from Minnesota and South Dakota turned Husky edge rusher, he conjures up uncanny images from the popular motion picture "Remember the Titans."

Durfee is a dead ringer for the film version of Gerry (pronounced Gary) Bertier, the hard-nosed linebacker with a crewcut portrayed by actor Ryan Hurst on the big screen. Hurst offers a most entertaining take on the real-life and now deceased Bertier, who was left paralyzed in an auto accident and then killed by a drunk driver in another one.

In the movie, Bertier was a team leader responsible for bringing together black and white players to form a championship team at an Alexandria, Virginia, high school against a racist backdrop, someone who initially didn't take kindly to "momma jokes" — yes, you'll have to watch the movie to understand that reference.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Durfee, who wears No. 15 on defense, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

Agree to disagree, but we think Zach Durfee resembles the "Remember the Titans" character Gerry Bertier, who likewise was a tough defensive player.

Actor Ryan Hurst portrayed linebacker Gerry Bertier in the film "Remember the Titans," opposite Denzel Washington.

SWALLOWING HIM WHOLE / Skylar Lin Visuals

In the final spring scrimmage, edge rusher Zach Durfee runs down running back Will Nixon and tackles him from behind in Husky Stadium.

Zach Durfee transferred to the University of Washington this spring from South Dakota's NCAA Division II Sioux Falls, moving up a level of football.

Newcomer Zach Durfee shows off his athleticism at edge rusher as he spins around this pad-wielding UW coach during spring practice.

Zach Durfee was welcomed with open arms by his new UW teammates after showing how effective he can be on defense during spring ball.

Zach Durfee has what appears to be a thick tattoo emblazoned across his right shoulder, one that hasn't been fully explained yet.

Zach Durfee is an edge rusher who was a high school quarterback and pegged to be a college tight end before coaches got wise.

Zach Durfee came to the UW after turning in a superlative season for NCAA Division II Sioux Falls, piling up 11 sacks in 11 games.

In a spring drill, Zach Durfee dives on a loose ball in practice at Husky Stadium as he introduced himself to his new team.

This spring, Durfee, even while dealing with a injury that sat him out for more than a week, made a big impression on everyone as a University of Sioux Falls transfer who provides added firepower and physicality while UW coaches attempt to ramp up the defense. In the final spring scrimmage, he chalked up 1.5 sacks.

It was probably no coincidence that junior UW edge rusher Sav'ell Smalls didn't make it through to the end of April practices and transferred to Colorado.

The 6-foot-5, 252-pound Durfee is a high-motor player who never turns it off. Smalls might be more gifted as an athlete, but he didn't always exhibit the same drive as this new face from the Midwest. Then again, maybe they're similar athletes.

After all, Durfee was a Minnesota high school quarterback who wasn't highly recruited, joined Sioux Falls, an NCAA Division II school, as a tight end and was turned into such a promising edge rusher he felt compelled to turn to the Power 5 level.

UW coach Kalen DeBoer didn't hesitate to welcome Durfee to Seattle from his former coaching stop and alma mater, using those prior South Dakota connections to land an impactful player.

"We really saw him at another level," DeBoer said. "[In] practice on Monday, in particular, he really was applying a lot of pressure. It seemed like he was always around the ball. ... We think he's got a lot of tools that we were looking for at the edge position."

Durfee's football story certainly is an inspiring one, not unlike Gerry Bertier, maybe even suitable someday for the big or small screen.

ZACH DURFEE FILE

Service: He redshirted in 2021 while making the conversion to edge rusher before putting it all on display in 11 games for Sioux Falls. While used as a part-time starter, he was always a disruptive player and an all-conference selection.

Stats: Durfee finished with 11 sacks in those 11 outings, piling up 4 of them in his first college football game.

Role: While he won't supplant the highly decorated Bralen Trice or Zion Tupuola-Fetui as an Husky edge-rusher starter, Durfee is fully capable of handling that role if one of those players gets dinged up. Look for him to play a lot.

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Published May 26, 2023

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.