Washington Huskies Teammates; Coaches Discuss Return of Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei

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Washington Huskies defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi speaks to the media following practice Monday at Husky Stadium in Seattle. | Teren Kowatsch/Roundtable Sports

SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team spent the entire spring with Class of 2026 recruit Derek Colman-Brusa starting on the interior of the defensive line.

Colman-Brusa played well in the role, but it was expected going into the fall that he would have to continue to compete to earn the job.

Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts has also played well on the inside of the defensive line and Mississippi State transfer Kai McClendon is still yet to go full-contact in a practice since joining the Huskies.

The depth on the interior when all three are healthy is an appealing prospect to think about for Washington's coaching staff, but the team recently saw the return of a veteran who's likely to push the competition level up for those looking to carve out consistent playing time on the interior.

Fifth-year defensive lineman Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei made his return to the Huskies on Sunday. He was granted a fifth year of college eligibility after a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado filed a class-wide injunction against the NCAA allowing players who enrolled in the 2022-23 academic year a fifth season of playing time.

The exact timeline on when Uiagalelei realized he could be eligible and his communication with the coaching staff about potentially returning to the squad wasn't shared, but his former teammates are definitely excited to see him back.

"Me and him played a lot, at least earlier last year," Fourth-year defensive lineman Elinneus Davis said after a practice Monday at Husky Stadium. " … I texted him. I sent the eyes emoji to him. … Then he sent it back. It's just awesome to have him back. Sometimes I see him in meetings, I just smile at him."

Davis took on the role as the leader on the defensive line due to him being the one returner on the team with the most experience playing in the Purple and Gold. Now that Uiagalelei's back, not only does Davis not have to shoulder all of the veteran responsibility, the rest of younger players in the trenches have two veterans to lean on for mentorship.

Uiagalelei started in all 13 games for Washington last year. He finished out his then-assumed final year of college ball with 20 total tackles (11 solo), including four tackles for loss, two sacks and one pass defended.

The returning defensive lineman's experience playing under Fisch extends past his one year in the Pacific Northwest. He was recruited by Fisch while the latter had the same role with the Arizona Wildcats. He played three years at Arizona before entering the transfer portal and joining UW last season.

However, just because Uiagalelei has experience and trust from Fisch doesn't mean he's guaranteed a starting spot this season.

Between Colman-Brusa's development, McClendon's performance when he returns and Davis and Watts' high-end play in practice, there's no shortage of potential quality starters Fisch and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters can opt for on the inside of the defensive line.

Currently, Uiagalelei is doing primarily individual work to get prepared, but is expected to be a full go when the team is in full pads at its sixth fall practice Thursday.

"Good player. He played here a lot," Defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi said after practice Monday. " … Has a lot of playing snaps. Between here and Arizona, he's had a lot of playing time. … There's some familiar faces. The defensive scheme is pretty similar to what we ran last year. … I would say he's in good shape. It's just a matter of going through the activation periods to get him back to where he needs to be with the team.

" … Ideally you'd love to have five guys (on the defensive line). You're rotating with a backup crew to keep everybody stress. If need be, based on certain situations, you have a fifth and a sixth guy because you're using three extra d-linemen in certain situations. For the most part, I'm looking at five-to-six guys (as starters)."

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