What Flipping 3-Star DT Joseph Peko Means For Washington Football

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If the first effort doesn’t do the job, wait and let the initial foundation pave the way for a fruitful partnership. For three-star defensive tackle Joseph Peko, it took three different tries before Jedd Fisch, defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi, and the Washington Huskies secured his talents.

At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, the former Oaks Christian High School defensive lineman and son of 14-year NFL veteran defensive tackle Domata Peko received his second offer from the duo when both were at Arizona in 2023.

Peko still remembered the early opportunity to continue his football journey from Fisch and Kaufusi when they came back around this spring, two-plus months after his father left the Colorado Buffaloes football program, where he pledged to suit up for coach Deion Sanders in December 2025.

“What I remember back when they were at Arizona was how much they really made sure to take care of their players and make sure they’re bonding as brothers off the field,” Peko recalled. “That’s what I noticed when I went to Washington on my official visit. How close together the team was. How there was no arguing throughout the day. Everyone wants to get each other better. That’s definitely one of the upsides that made me impressed with their program and what I like about their coaching style.”

Over the first five games last season, Peko registered at least two tackles and finished with 38 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Being a versatile disruptive force is what the Oaks Christian standout defender is what makes his game a must-have for UW, which is looking to add a bonus young, projectable force along the defensive trenches.

Peko initially committed to Coach Prime and CU in December, but due to an injury in his senior year, he opted to keep an open mind, which led to a pair of visits to Arizona and UW. Following his trip to Seattle on April 11, when the team was in the middle of spring camp, it became apparent where his future was best served.

“During that senior year, something spoke to me after praying through with God about everything,” Peko said. “I just stayed back through my second semester and healed up my body to make sure I’d be perfectly fit by summertime. During that time, I chose not to sign but remained verbally committed. My pops, he left Colorado, and seeing the openings—just seeing how the program was not fitting to how it was when I first committed, so that’s what really threw me off the wire and made me want to keep my options open.”

Peko is set to arrive in Seattle in less than three weeks to join the other five remaining signees from the ’26 class, the sixth defensive lineman or edge rusher, which featured a pair of early enrollees, four-stars Derek Colman-Brusa and T.I. Umu-Cais, along with Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star JD Hill, O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) three-star David Schwerzel, and Annie Wright (Tacoma, Wash.) three-star Ta’a Malu, a half-dozen reinforcements to continue building out the Huskies‘ defensive front for years to come.

“I would describe my game as a pure run-stopper, who can be able to go in and clog the gap, make an instant impact in the run game. I can see myself playing along the entire line,” Peko said. “I have a fast twist that allows me to go through and beat players off the line. I’m more of a nose guard, 3-technique type of guy. But I have the ability to play throughout the entire line.”

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: What Flipping 3-Star DT Joseph Peko Means For Washington Huskies

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