Inside The Huskies

Vimahi Had to Play Defense for Ohio State in 2021 Title Game

The new Husky offensive guard has filled in where needed in his career.

Dan Raley

Enokk Viamahi, the UW's transfer from Ohio State, has played a little defense.
Enokk Viamahi, the UW's transfer from Ohio State, has played a little defense. / Inside the Buckeyes

Enokk Vimahi, like many of his new University of Washington football teammates, has played in and lost the College Football Playoff national championship game -- and by a wide margin.

On Jan. 11, 2021, the 6-foot-4, 301-pound offensive guard from Kahuku, Hawaii, was a redshirt freshman for Ohio State who came out on the short end of a lopsided 52-24 defeat to No. 1 Alabama at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

On that day, however, he wasn't a blocker for the Buckeyes. Instead Vimahi came off the bench as a defensive tackle -- as the Twitter video shows below -- so depleted was the Buckeyes' roster at the height of COVID pandemic.

When UW fall camp begins in three weeks, the now sixth-year senior will try to put his football versatility to good use as an offensive guard only and be given every opportunity to win one of the Huskies' starting jobs as Jedd Fisch's staff completely replaces the front five.

Vimahi, in fact, comes off one of his two career starting assignments for Ohio State, pressed into service because of an injury and pulling all 57 offensive snaps at guard in the Buckeyes' 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

He ventures to Seattle needing a change of college football scenery after playing mostly as a sub in three dozen games in Columbus, not what was expected from someone who was a 4-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 player in Hawaii.

Vimahi held 29 scholarship offers back then, turning down Notre Dame, Florida, USC, Oregon, UCLA and even the Huskies.

With the Huskies in a rebuilding mode up front, he'll have his best opportunity yet to become a full-fledged starter, competing mostly against a bunch of young and developing players.

If nothing else, Vimahi can compare notes on championship game setbacks, whether there was much difference in dealing with the disappointment of Ohio State's 28-point shortfall vs. the UW's 21-point stumble (34-13) against Michigan with everything on the line.

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

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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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