Inside The Huskies

Huskies Receive Portal Commitment from Western Michigan DT

Anterio Thompson also played the 2023 season at Iowa.

Dan Raley

Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown while Western Michigan's Anterio Thompson (11) tries to stop him.
Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a touchdown while Western Michigan's Anterio Thompson (11) tries to stop him. / Adam Cairns-Imagn Images

The University of Washington football team completed the Michigan Mid-American Conference trifecta on Monday by receiving a transfer portal commitment from well-traveled defensive tackle Anterio Thompson.

The 6-foot-3, 293-pound Thompson comes to the Huskies after spending this past season at Western Michigan.

This personnel development happens four months after the Huskies hosted and beat Eastern Michigan 30-9.

Central Michigan?

Four years ago, the UW sent quarterback Jacob Sirmon to that MAC outpost for a single season.

While the transfer portal is always a tricky place, where you don't always know what you're getting talent-wise, Thompson will arrive in Montlake at least well aware what rigorous Big Ten competition is all about.

Iowa's Anterio Thompson (54) is shown at 2023 spring practice with his teammates.
Iowa's Anterio Thompson (54) is shown at 2023 spring practice with his teammates. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

An Iowa native, he spent the 2023 season at the University of Iowa, appearing in seven games as a reserve and collecting a lone tackle yet a pair of blocked punts before transferring out. One of his blocks came in a 41-10 victory over Western Michigan, his eventual team.

For a 6-7 Western team this season, Thompson started all games except the Salute to Veterans Bowl held this past Saturday against South Alabama, when he came off the bench and logged 5 tackles in a 30-23 loss in Montgomery, Alabama.

During the season, he suffered through the Broncos' 56-0 beatdown at Ohio State and a 28-14 defeat at Wisconsin.

For his MAC team, Thompson finished up with 34 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

He began his college football career Western Iowa CC in 2022, where he had a 32-tackle, 10-TFL and 6-sack season.

Once he joins the Huskies, Thompson will be asked to compete for a starting spot on the interior defensive line soon to be vacated by one-time Montana State transfer and senior Sebastian Valdez, and most likely play opposite junior Jayvon Parker, who's coming off a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

Others in next season's D-line competition will include one-time Miami transfer and senior Logan Sagapolu, who has played in all 12 games and started once; redshirt freshman Elinneus Davis, who has appeared in 11 games as a reserve and totaled 14 tackles, including a sack; one-time Kansas JC transfer Bryce Butler, who has drawn snaps in 3 games; sophomore Armon Parker, Jayvon's twin, who missed this season with a leg injury and has never appeared in a UW game; and redshirt freshman Omar Khan.

The Husky defensive line for 2025 still looks far from settled.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

Published
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.

Home/Football