Huskies' Voi Tunuufi Has New Position, Living on the Edge
For two college football seasons, Voi Tunuufi was a defensive tackle in an edge rusher's body.
Wearing No. 90, he pulled on a defensive lineman's jersey, in fact the football shirt made famous by Steve Emtman, the University of Washington's most fearsome and intimidating defender coming out of a stance.
With 8 career sacks, Tunuufi was a defensive lineman with edge rusher stats, coming up with his 24-month total surpassed at the UW only by Bralen Trice (11) and the since departed Jeremiah Martin (9.5). Of course, both edge rushers.
So on the first day of spring football practice on Monday, guess what happened — Tunuufi finally showed up where he's belonged all along as a Husky edge rusher.
"They got me outside a lot," Tunuufi said on Monday. "I think I'll be able to use my speed a lot more."
He wore a new jersey number, settling on 52, which seemed much more suited for an outside presence.
His weight was down from 283 pounds as listed at the Alamo Bowl to 255, though the school officially has him on the roster at 249.
The Salt Lake City product represents just another example of Kalen DeBoer's staff examining every little facet of the UW football program and adjusting things to fit their operational needs.
Jimmy Lake used the back practice field along Lake Washington almost exclusively, while DeBoer never goes there with his guys.
Lake saw an offensive lineman in Ulumoo Ale, while the DeBoer staff immediately turned the 6-foot-6, 340-pound behemoth into a defensive lineman.
The Lake staff brought Tunuufi in as a defensive tackle, even starting him twice up front.
DeBoer coaches felt comfortable moving Tunuufi to what should be a more natural position for him because of the return of starters Tuli Letuligasenoa and Faatui Tuitele, Ale's continued presence on defense and maybe most of all the maturation of the Parker twins.
On Monday, brothers Jayvon and Armon Parker took the field together for the first time as teammates at the UW, lining up side by side in the controlled scrimmage portions of practice.
The 6-foot-3, 316-pound Armon Parker, who his coaches say has quickness that will turn him into a difference-maker, sat out all of last season after tearing up a knee while playing basketball at home and having subsequent surgery.
In his brother's absence, the 6-foot-3, 304-pound Jayvon Parker showed himself to be a precocious football talent by unexpectedly appearing in eight games as a freshman, playing well and giving up his redshirt status.
All of this served to send Tunuufi and his sacking ability to the outside after 24 games as a Husky D-lineman, to a place in which he has no complaints.
"I think it worked out for the best, being able to build my speed and stuff like that," he said. "I didn't do much [on Monday], but it was good to get that feeling back, being with the boys with our helmets on. It's definitely a good environment."
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