Husky Roster Review: Finau Was Spring Starter, Might Not Give Up Spot

The freshman ran with the No. 1 offense throughout spring football practice.

Paki Finau missed at least one spring practice after getting dinged up. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Paki Finau was the starting left offensive guard for the University of Washington football team when spring football began and when it ended.

Remember, he's just a freshman.

Yet it's worth asking this question: will anyone ever dislodge him from that position while he's in Montlake?

As the Husky offensive line goes through a total renovation since last season's run to the national championship game that was anchored by an impressive group of blockers hailed as the nation's best -- and the job candidates were reduced to the bare minimum for spring ball -- Finau received a chance to be an immediate starter and see what's required of him, rare for a first-year player.

Most newcomers, especially those who still should be in high school, normally go to the back of the pack once they arrive and work their way up the depth chart over a matter of years. Not the 6-foot-5, 297-pound Finau. Twelve pounds lighter, he enrolled early for winter quarter, began working on adding weight right away and accompanied the Huskies to Houston as a spectator.

He clearly was one of the top players signed to national letters of intent last December by the departed Kalen DeBoer, who raved about him.

"I could go on and on about how explosive he is and how he stays detached at the line of scrimmage, and just gets off the football," DeBoer said a month before he left for Alabama. "He's a real athlete."

Paki Finau takes on a blocking sled with offensive-line coach Brennan Carroll nearby. / 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.

From the Mojave Desert town of Hesperia, Finau was a 4-star prospect and DeBoer's first commit for the 2024 class. He held offers from Miami, Nebraska, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn and Oregon, among others.

Once the coaching change took place, Finau briefly entered the transfer portal to see what it had to offer before getting on board with Jedd Fisch's new staff.

"We were just really honest with him," said Brennan Carroll, Fisch's offensive coordinator and line coach. "We've known him for a while though the recruiting process, so he had some good familiarity with us. As all players were, he was given the option to go search the portal -- not a good idea. [We were] just talking to him, explaining to him what it's going to be like with us being on staff, what he can expect from us and what we can expect from him."

With a thick lower body, Finau appeared mobile enough as he went through the spring practice paces. All-Pac-12 offensive tackleTroy Fautanu, before he went to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a first-round draft pick, twice came out and watched spring ball. He was invested in this new kid on the block.

Fautanu, who started at both guard and tackle for the Huskies, was one of the selling points the previous staff used to land Finau.

"It's fun to see him buy into Troy Fautanu," DeBoer said in December. "He got to know him over the course of the winter and spring. He looked at him and said, 'I can be that guy.' "

Fautanu, however, redshirted his first season in 2019 and didn't become even a part-time Husky starter until his third year in the program. Finau has a chance to supersede all of that.

Paki Finau (53) pulls on this play in the Husky Stadium west end zone. / Skylar Lin Visuals

PAKI FINAU FILE

What he's done: Finau took part in 13 spring practices, missing a couple with some minor injury. He ran with the No. 1 offense exclusively when he was available, something only he and right tackle Drew Azzopardi did at one position while Zach Henning split first-team reps at center and guard.

Starter or not: Why not? The Husky O-line is getting a complete makeover heading into the coming season and he brings as much football pedigree as anyone contesting for a job up front. Fisch has said he has no problem starting freshmen.

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