Inside The Huskies

UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Kuao Peihopa Introduced Himself to Huskies as Ready to Play

The defensive tackle from Hawaii was physically and emotionally comfortable at spring ball.

Dan Raley

UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Kuao Peihopa Introduced Himself to Huskies as Ready to Play
UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Kuao Peihopa Introduced Himself to Huskies as Ready to Play /

Kuao Peihopa's first name is pronounced "Kwow."

As in wow.

Or ow.

All of it goes together.

Peihopa took part in University of Washington spring football practice, as one of four true freshmen who enrolled early and pulled on the pads, which usually means submitting to being a short-order guinea pig. 

It's no easy feat getting thrown in cold with all of those older and stronger guys, and learning on the fly — or flat on your back.

Yet in this case, the newcomer from Makakilo, Hawaii, didn't look like a first-year player fresh out of high school. Certainly no reverse tourist. He was hardly at a disadvantage when he introduced himself to everyone in Seattle.

With his stout 6-foot-3, 320-pound frame, the defensive tackle was as big or bigger than most people on the field in April and May.

He practiced with a mindset that immediately set himself apart from the typical first-year Husky football player that usually signals a fast-track player.

Can you say Vita Vea?

Not for a minute was Peihopa a pushover. 

Midway through spring ball, the big Hawaiian squared off with the even bigger redshirt freshman offensive guard Nate Kalepo.

It was Peihopa's 320 pounds belly-bumping against Kalepo's 340.

They resembled a pair of grizzly bears angrily protecting their turf in the Alaska outback.

They suddenly threw ultra violent shots at each other that compelled Husky teammates to jump in and pull them apart.

Peihopa earned a lot of respect in that brief encounter. 

Going down the roster in numerical order, this is another of our post-spring assessments of all of the Husky talent at hand, gleaned from a month of observations, as a way to keep everyone engaged during the offseason.

Peihopa wears No. 98, which belongs only to him at the UW. Other notables who've had it on their backs were Will Dissly, Joe Mancuso, Otis Washington, Roy Easton and Ray Cattage.

Of the four early arriving freshman, 5-star quarterback Sam Huard drew as much attention as anyone in a Husky uniform this spring. The other three were tight end Caden Jumper, defensive tackle Voi Tunuufi and Peihopa.

Huard spent most of his time learning the intricate nuances of running a Husky offense and getting comfortable bossing around older players. Jumper and Tunuufi checked in at 270 pounds each, mature physically but definitely in need of another 15 or 20. 

Peihopa, however, seemed ready to play right away. Shuttling between the second and third units, he pulled a lot of reps. He collected a pair of tackles in the spring game. 

Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory sized up Peihopa and Tunuufi together because they play the same positions and someday could be bookends. Maybe replacements for Tuli Letuligasenoa and Taki Taimani when they depart. 

With Peihopa, maybe he'll make inroads before that.

“I’m really happy with those two guys,” Gregory said of Peihopa and Tunuufi. “They’re certainly going to be really good football players here. Kuao (who enrolled for the winter quarter) came a little bit earlier than Voi. But for two freshmen, we feel pretty pleased about those two guys.”

Another sign of Peihopa's football maturity was his his 395-pound bench press, which ranked him fourth among all players in the Husky combine, the team's offseason competition.

The guy named Kuao might hear his name called out fairly soon over the Husky Stadium public-address system, maybe butchered at times, but enunciated just the same.

Just remember it sounds like Kwow, which rhymes with pow.

It also goes with now.

Peihopa's 2021 Outlook: Projected reserve DT

UW Service Time: None

Stats: None

Individual Honors: Not yet

Pro prospects: 2026 NFL second-day pick

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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