Husky Roster Review: Voi Tunuufi Tries to Position Himself with New Staff

Is the senior from Utah a defensive tackle or an edge rusher? The question persists.

Voi Tunuufi always seems to enjoy himself on the UW practice field. / Skylar Lin Visuals

For the first University of Washington spring football practice in early April, Voi Tunuufi was first on the field -- he came out 52 minutes early.

Obviously eager to get started, the 6-foot-1, 260-pound senior defensive lineman from the Salt Lake City area emerged from the tunnel at Husky Stadium in a purple jersey and gray shorts, stopping only to say a prayer before stretching out his legs.

Tunuufi probably figured he needed a head start just so Jedd Fisch's new UW coaching staff could figure out where to play him.

Defensive tackle or edge rusher? Inside or out? Where, where, where?

Jimmy Lake's coaching staff had him coming out of a stance on the interior of the line as a freshman almost exclusively, even starting him twice, with one of those game-opening assignments coming against Fisch's 2021 Arizona team,

Kalen DeBoer's coaches used Tunuufi in both spots as a reserve over two seasons, with this Utah native notably coming off the edge to strip sack vaunted USC quarterback Caleb Williams, soon to be the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick, to enable the Huskies to wrap up a monumental 52-42 victory over the Trojans last November in Los Angeles.

Now it's Fisch's turn to figure out where to get the most mileage out of this multi-purpose Tunuufi.

"In terms of leadership and stuff like that, you love him," new UW defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi said. "He's kind of the locker-room enforcer. A lot of the boys look up to him. As far as skill sets on the football field, he's played a lot of football here. We're just trying to help him out find the best position to help us."

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.

On the first scrimmage play of the spring, Tunuufi took the field with sixth-year senior Jacob Bandes as the defensive tackles on the No. 1 defense while senior Zach Durfee and junior Maurice Heims set up outside.

By the fourth practice, he had moved to the edge on the second unit with Heims and paired with redshirt freshman Elinneus Davis and sophomore Armon Parker, who were the defensive tackles.

Voi Tunuufi shares a huddle with UW defenders on the first day of spring practice. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The big thing about Tunuufi is he just seems to always enjoy himself, no matter which position he's manning and he continues to make big plays -- while used mostly as a sub, he has 10 career sacks. He appears to have no ego whatsoever about starting or not starting. He's just always ready to play.

During spring, nickelback Jordan Shaw intercepted a ball and Tunuufi celebrated by running around the field offering fun-filled catcalls.

While he's a little undersized, Tunuufi is extremely quick and determined and he's played in all but one Husky game since he arrived three years ago. Of the remaining Husky veterans, only Bandes has played in every game over that time. The Fisch coaching staff, like the others that came before, certainly will find a way to get Tunuufi on the field.

After the CFP title game loss, Voi Tunuufi consoles the departed Asa Turner. / Skylar Lin Visuals

VOI TUNUUFI FILE

What he's done: Tunuufi has played in 39 of 40 games, missing only the Huskies' 31-24 overtime win over California in 2021 because of an injury. He has 50 career tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and those 10 sacks. Half of his sacks came in 2022, including one late in a 49-39 win over Arizona and Fisch.

Starter or not: As a freshman, Tunuufi made his first career start in his seventh Husky outing in Tucson against Arizona and Fisch, and he had a tackle in the 21-16 UW victory. Two games later, he started again in a 26-16 loss to Oregon at home. So he's been there. However, Tunuufi probably still isn't big enough to be a full-time defensive tackle. He faces stern competition on the edge. Rest assured, he's going to play somewhere in every outing -- he just might not get his name announced over the public-address system before the game begins.

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