Jayden Wayne Re-Introduces Himself to Husky Football

The edge rusher from Tacoma adjusts to a new system after leaving Miami.

Jayden Wayne prepares to stretch with his UW teammates. / Dan Raley

Of the candidates seeking work as a University at Washington edge rusher, Isaiah Ward brings unmatched credentials, 11 starts at Arizona in 2023, which included a dominant performance against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Zach Durfee, so big and fast. is by far the most hyped Husky in this position group, even after appearing only in the Sugar Bowl against Texas last season. Some suggest this 6-foot-5, 256-pound Minnesota native might be a poor man's version of J.J. Watt, the Wisconsin native and legendary NFL player.

Z.Z. Durf, anyone?

Add to that list Arizona transfer Russell Davis II, the son of a former Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman and a Super Bowl champion; promising Sacramento State transfer Deshawn Lynch, who started 13 games in 2023; Husky holdovers Jacob Lane, Lance Holtzclaw and Maurice Heims, who have appeared in 9, 14 and 21 career games, respectively.

Oh, and one more name -- Jayden Wayne.

Local guy. Big guy. Guy with unlimited potential.

A priority recruit for the Class of 2023, Wayne from Tacoma, Washington, visited the UW plenty of times but he wouldn't commit to either Jimmy Lake or Kalen DeBoer, and ultimately signed with Miami, played as a freshman in 2023 and transferred to Montlake this past spring.

From UW defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi comes this early assessment: "I think the ceiling's high for him."

With the Huskies involved in full contact for the first time on Tuesday, Wayne entered scrimmage play either in the second or third edge-rusher pairings.

At 6-foot-6 and 262 pounds, he's notably the biggest body of the UW's top eight candidates.

He looked slippery in fighting his way through blockers and getting upfield.

However, Wayne also currently is dealing with totally new football surroundings.

"If it's scheme verbiage or how I coach, I think he's still making the transition in terms of the learning curve," Kaufusi said.

Jayden Wayne appeared in eight games for Miami in 2023. / Miami

A much touted 4-star recruit, Wayne was welcomed with open arms by Miami and appeared in eight games as a freshman, including starting in the Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers, before choosing to return home following spring football practice.

Now everyone is getting reacquainted. It's a process for both the coach and the edge rusher in learning each other's nuances.

"It's been really, really good for me to actually kind of get him into my drills, getting him moving around," Kaufusi said. "See how he bends, see how he can turn corners, see how strong he is at the point of attack, and just kind of go from there."

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