Who steps up on the O-line for Washington football?

Washington football is replacing three high-quality starters along the offensive line, so who’s going to step up and fill their shoes?

Washington football has gotten some stellar offensive line play over the last few years, and coach Scott Huff has been killing it on the recruiting trail, so the question is, how will he replace two All-Americans and a high-quality tackle?

Let’s take a look at who we think could end up being rolled out when the Huskies take their first offensive snap of the season.

Left tackle

Trey Adams is gone, enter the next behemoth, Jaxson Kirkland. Fans might have to prepare for the fact that Kirkland is good enough to play one year at left tackle and then head off to the NFL. The 2018 Freshman All-American has two stellar years of film at right guard under his belt and could end up being one of the top offensive lineman taken in the 2021 NFL Draft class.

Left guard

Senior Luke Wattenberg should have this spot locked down, but don’t put anything in ink until September 5th. Ulumoo Ale should be hot on his trail, as the 6’6, 351-pound mountain of a man has been in the Husky system for two years and Huff has sung his praises numerous times, and there’s a distinct possibility the sophomore could overtake the senior for the starting spot, and in this hypothetical situation, we’ll say Ale wins the job.

Center

Matteo Mele did a great job filling in for Nick Harris when he was hurt last year, but can he hold onto the job? One of the five recruits Huff pulled in during the 2020 cycle was the West Coast’s top offensive lineman and was at one point rated the best center prospect in the country, Myles Murao. Murao is a bigger version of Harris coming in as a true freshman, after playing on one of the best high school teams in the country, in arguably the toughest league in all of high school football.

Only time will tell how that competition will play out, but it’ll probably be the hardest fought battle along the line this summer, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if either man wins the job. For prediction’s sake, and to stand by previous takes, the winner of this hypothetical battle is Murao.

Right Guard

With Kirkland sliding to left tackle, this frees up a spot for Henry Bainivalu to take over here. When Kirkland was injured near the end of the 2019 season, Bainivalu took over for him and was excellent in the role. The hometown hero out of Skyline has been waiting for his moment since 2017, and will finally get his opportunity to shine. He’ll probably be in stiff competition with Troy Fautanu, but Bainivalu’s size and experience should put him over the top.

Right Tackle

The big man out of Texas will get his first shot as a starter, as Victor Curne should slide in to replace Jared Hilbers. Curne played in seven games during his redshirt freshman season, but he’ll be pushed too by another local product. After redshirting during the 2019 season, Nate Kalepo should be ready to compete for a spot. The 6’6, 340-pound product of Rainier Beach has all the tools to be a top-flight tackle, but is still a little raw, so while he’ll probably crack the depth chart, don’t expect him to overtake Curne just yet.

Crazy but true: The average weight of this starting offensive line is 326.6 pounds, which would’ve weighed in as the fourth heaviest line in the nation in 2019.