Husky Roster Review: Anderson Got Chance to Play with the Big Boys

The walk-on from Olympia, Washington, received second-team snaps.

Aidan Anderson has good size for a walk-on offensive lineman. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Not your typical walk-on offensive lineman, who tends to lean to the shorter and lighter side, Aidan Anderson checks in with the University of Washington football team these days at 6-foot-4 and 319 pounds.

A year ago as a Husky freshman, the Olympia, Washington, product likely rated no higher than a fourth-string offensive tackle, lining up behind starters Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten, backups Samuel Peacock and Jalen Klemm, and scholarship freshmen Soane Faasolo and Elishah Jackett.

This past spring, by manpower necessity -- with only 10 healthy lineman available, who were with or without financial aid -- Anderson spent all 15 of the offseason practices as a second-unit tackle for the Huskies.

While he'll likely get pushed back down the depth chart once Jedd Fisch's coaching staff replenishes the numbers to 16-18 players in this position group, Anderson received a unique opportunity as a young non-scholarship player to show what he could do.

He's seen what it takes to be taken seriously in practice. Whether or not he's lacking in athleticism, strength or footwork, Anderson now has a better idea what it takes to become a relevant Husky football lineman.

Aidan Anderson works the sled during UW spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.x

Anderson who turned 19 on May 2, the day before the spring game, came to the Huskies as a preferred walk-on from North Thurston High School following limited recruitment that involved Eastern Washington, Portland State, Oregon State, Washington State and Whitworth.

If there was an athletic attraction to him, he left high school as the 3A state heavyweight wrestling champion as a senior, finishing with a 35-2 record that consisted of 31 pins.

In football, he not only was a blocker for purple-shirted North Thurston, he was used at times as a two-way player, and one who came up with 9 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss, in his first full-time game as a defensive tackle.

Serious about becoming a college offensive lineman, Anderson attended Stanford, Oregon State and Sacramento State football camps in 2022 before arriving in Montlake. With his spring tour of duty, it's up to him to do something with that golden opportunity.

Aidan Anderson hits the sled under the gaze of line coach Brennan Carroll. / Skylar Lin Visuals

AIDAN ANDERSON FILE

What he's done: During his recruitment, Anderson was invited by Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff to watch the UW host and beat Oregon State 24-21 in a Friday night game on Nov. 4, 2022, offered a preferred walk-on opportunity on Nov. 18 and committed on Nov. 29. He didn't appear in any Husky games as a true freshman. He was one of three walk-on linemen, with center Parker Cross and offensive guard Roice Cleeland, to pull significant spring snaps.

Starter or not: It's not impossible for a walk-on to become a UW starter -- see Edefuan Ulofoshio -- but more often it's unlikely. Anderson has plenty of size, plus that wrestling background. He just needs to want it like Ulofoshio did.

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