Huskies Offer Young Edge Rusher from DeBoer's Alma Mater
While Kalen DeBoer's University of Washington football coaches leave no recruiting rock unturned, uncovering this particular player wasn't all that complicated.
On Monday, the Huskies offered Zach Durfee, a promising 6-foot-6, 255-pound redshirt freshman edge rusher from the University of Sioux Falls — where DeBoer was a record-breaking wide receiver and won three national championships as coach.
Seeking a higher level of competition after having his way with the NCAA Division II level, Durfee entered the transfer portal following an idle redshirt year used to convert him into a defensive stalwart and his unveiling this past season in which he piled up 11.5 sacks in 11 games.
Wearing No. 90 for the Cougars, Durfee demonstrated a high-motor burst off the ball not unlike the guy who pulled on that same jersey for the Huskies three decades ago — Steve Emtman. Just watch the video in this Twitter post.
Even with all of the friendly recruiting connections involved, the UW challenge will be to land a commitment from a player who has been compared in the Midwest to Dennis Gardeck, someone who left Sioux Falls in 2018 and joined the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent and is now in his fifth NFL season, along the way becoming a team captain and a Pro Bowl player.
"There hasn't been a guy as explosive as him to come through here since Gardeck," Sioux Falls coach Jon Anderson told the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader.
Besides the UW, Durfee, who entered the portal on Nov. 29, has offers from Minnesota, Iowa State, North Dakota State and North Dakota.
A Minnesota native, Durfee wasn't heavily recruited as a tall quarterback who had to write to Sioux Falls to spur some recruiting interest in himself.
Anderson initially saw a tight end in the big prospect, but once the quickness became apparent, the Cougars staff redshirted the newcomer, put 20 pounds on him and taught him the nuances of edge rusher.
Once unleashed, Durfee was an immediate hit. He finished with 28 tackles, including 13.5 TFLs, and was named as a first-team, all-league selection in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) for an 8-3 team. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
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