Changing of the Guard: Will UW Line Reshuffle Involve Cole Norgaard?

The Huskies' lineman from Northern California has played in one game in three seasons in the program. He was injured in 2019. He's trying to make a breakthrough.

Cole Norgaard is no Rudy story.

He came to the University of Washington football program as a three-star recruit out of Stockton, California. He was Lineman of the Year in his high school conference. ESPN's No. 71 offensive tackle.

Arizona and California pursued him. Wyoming really wanted him. The Huskies signed him. 

At the same time after three seasons in Seattle, Norgaard has appeared in exactly one UW game. 

He drew mop-up duty at center in a mismatch against North Dakota to begin the 2018 season.

Norgaard didn't step on the field on game day in either 2017 or last year.

That's not much of a track record to go on. Yet rather than write him off, Norgaard's moment of opportunity, the true barometer for his football career, is right now when multiple jobs are open across the UW offensive line.

Chances are the 6-foot-5, 288-pound junior has just been buried deep in the system, laboriously trying to work his way through it. He was entrusted with getting stronger as a redshirting freshman. Dealing with an ankle injury, he never got healthy in 2019. In the video, he's wearing No. 63, but he's in street clothes for the Apple Cup.

He's now one of the candidates out to replace the Huskies' two-time All-Pac-12 center Nick Harris, having served as Harris' backup in 2018. A long line has formed.

"We've got a lot of good candidates there," said Scott Huff, UW offensive-line coach. "We'll tinker with Luke Wattenberg there. (Matteo) Mele has played there. Cole Norgaard has been the back-up the last couple of years."

This is another in a series of profiles on prospective UW football starters. While spring practice has been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated continues to provide uninterrupted coverage.

Norgaard comes from St. Mary's High School in Northern California, a conscientious football place with a new weight room, locker room and coaches' offices. During games, they roll out flat-screen TVs to the sideline to go over plays in real time.

The school provides a lot of players to the college ranks, among them defensive tackle Popo Aumuvae at Oregon. 

Norgaard originally committed to Nevada, but changed course once the Huskies came after him when highly regarded local lineman Foster Sorell chose to leave the Northwest for Stanford. Norgaard can get out and move, as his 57-yard interception return for a score demonstrated, shown here.

He's reached a college football crossroad now. Does he play meaningful minutes for Washington or does he move on?

SUMMARY: In Norgaard's lone appearance, he snapped the ball to Jake Haener, who got impatient with the process and later transferred to Fresno State. The big center is at his make or break point, too.

GRADE (1 to 5): He gets a 2. If he's healthy, Norgaard has a chance to contribute to a rebuilt line in some fashion. How much depends on him.