Husky Roster Review: Arizona Transfer Will Try to Ward Off Stiff Competition

The younger of two brothers has an inside track to start on the outside.

Isaiah Ward (91) went from Arizona to UW, following his coach. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Seven practices into University of Washington spring football, edge rusher Isaiah Ward emerged from a drill barking like a dog. The Arizona transfer was in a playful mood. He seemed to enjoy his new surroundings in Montlake and let it be heard.

However, he would incur some sort of unspecified injury that same day and be muffled thereafter, forced to sit out the rest of the spring.

The practice before, fellow No. 1 edge rusher Zach Durfee, who formed an enticing pairing with Ward as pass rushers, was lost with an elbow injury that shut him down.

In effect, Ward and Durfee -- expected to be two of the Huskies' better players on defense -- supplied only a movie trailer in April and May, a springtime tease per se, of what they can do when a full-length major motion picture is desired.

Anthony and Isaiah Ward are brothers and UW defenders. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The 6-foot-5, 227-pound Ward, the younger of two brothers who play for the UW, is coming off a breakout redshirt freshman season as an 11-game starter for Arizona and coach Jedd Fisch, and the best game of his college career, a 5-tackle, 1-strip sack performance in a 38-24 Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

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.

"I feel really good about the group," Durfee said of Ward and the other edge candidates. "I think we've got a lot of hungry guys."

So long and lean, Ward relies on his quickness and corresponding elusiveness to make things happen, yet he ultimately should match something such as Durfee's filled-out 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame if he harbors NFL ambitions.

When healthy, Durfee and Ward were the No. 1 edges, but the position group stands to be one of the most competitive in fall camp before the Fisch coaching staff settles on a pair of starters. Sophomores Jacob Lane and Lance "Showtime" Holtzclaw, easily could be game-opening players while fellow Arizona transfer Russell Davis II and Miami transfer Jayden Wayne are seriously in the mix, as well as Voi Tunuufi, who plays both edge and defensive tackle.

Ward, whose teammates include brother Anthony and whose uncle is former Seahawks Bobby Wagner, both linebackers, at least has the barking end of the job down. He just needs to make some noise on game day as a UW player.

Isaiah Ward was a starting edge rusher for Arizona in 2023. / Skylar Lin Visuals

ISAIAH WARD FILE

What he's done: Playing two Arizona seasons, Ward finished the latest one with 30 tackles, including 5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles and a pass break-up. He appeared in all 13 games for the 10-3 Wildcats last season, 16 overall.

Starter or not: Ward has 11 career college starts so he's more than capable of opening games for the Fisch coaching staff in Seattle. Considering all of the competitors lined up for the UW edge jobs, he'll be a most deserving winner if he can emerge as a starter.

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