Kahlee Tafai Grades Out Well at LT in Husky Starting Debut

The redshirt freshman from Los Angeles opened for the first time against USC.

Kahlee Tafai is getting his chance to show what he has at Husky offensive tackle. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Troy Fautanu was spotted on the University of Washington sideline before Saturday night's football game against USC, nattily dressed as any NFL first-rounder should be, and hugging former teammates before the big game.

The former Husky left tackle, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and working to get back from a cumbersome knee injury, no doubt had to see how the new guys were holding down his old job in Montlake.

Fautanu must have felt progress was being made in his absence during the UW's 26-21 victory over the Trojans.

He watched as redshirt freshman Kahlee Tafai made his first college start at left tackle against the Trojans, gave way to fellow redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo to catch a blow at times, and had Maryland and JC transfer Maximus McCree in uniform and available if needed with a club on his injured hand.

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Tafai, a Los Angeles product who spent the previous season as a Fautanu understudy while not appearing in any games, received high marks from the UW coaching staff that used one telling metric -- no sacks against the Trojans.

"I thought he did well," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "I thought Kahlee did a good job."

In facing a USC team known to utilize a constant pressure defensive package, Fisch said the plan with his offensive line -- that opened across the board, from left tackle to right with Tafai, Gaard Memmelaar, D'Angalo Titialii, Landen Hatchett and Drew Azzopardi as the starters -- was to limit negative plays.

Mission accomplished: Of 73 offensive snaps, just four backfired, according to Fisch.

"We had zero sacks," Fisch reiterated. "To stand in there and have that type of night, for Kahlee and the offensive line, and I think Gaard and Enokk [Vimahi] did a realy good job of helping Kahlee in communication, I think Kahlee did a nice job in protection."

Appearing in his fifth UW game, Tafai became the UW's third starting left tackle this season, with the 6-foot-8, 325-pound Faasolo and the the 6-foot-6, 295-pound McCree earlier pulling four game-opening assignments each.

Faasolo went through growing pains and got banged up some, giving way to McCree. He's appeared in eight of the nine games.

McCree, after dislocating his thumb early in the Indiana game, now wears a cast and is available on an emergency basis. He's played in six games.

As for Tafai, he'll start his second Husky game on Saturday night against Penn State on the road, Fisch said this week.

Fautanu left town and went back to his life in the NFL, with the former All-Pac-12 selection surely satisfied with how all the young guys are holding down his old spot at left tackle.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington