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Washington football’s Ulofoshio will be the nation’s best ILB

By Roman Tomashoff

Nov 14, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio (48) electorates after recovering a fumble against the Oregon State Beavers during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio (48) electorates after recovering a fumble against the Oregon State Beavers during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington football’s leader in tackles in 2020 will earn a lot of national recognition in 2021

Even though Washington football only played a four-game season in 2020, Edefuan Ulofoshio showed Jimmy Lake and his staff that they have a superstar in the middle of the defense. The former walk-on out of Anchorage, Alaska, was a two-star recruit out of national power Bishop Gorman (Nev.) before finding a home on Montlake.

Ever since his first game as a true freshman against Oregon State in 2018, where Ulofoshio recorded two tackles and two forced fumbles, Husky fans have known he was destined for stardom. He received honors for his performance against the Beavers in 2019, and took hold of the starting job from that point forward. He recorded 47 tackles over the team’s final four games, and displayed his intelligence and speed at inside linebacker when it had been severely lacking all season.

At the conclusion of the 2019 season, Ulofoshio was placed on scholarship by Lake, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. With Elijah Molden graduated and declared for the NFL Draft, Ulofoshio will step in as the team’s emotional leader on defense. His 47 tackles through four games led the team, which averages out to almost 12 tackles per game.

If he played a full 12 game regular season in 2020, not counting a bowl or conference championship game, Ulofoshio would have finished the season with 141 total tackles. That would’ve been more than enough to give him the top spot in the nation by a landslide, 27 more than Troy’s Carlton Martial, who recorded 114 over the 2020 campaign.

https://twitter.com/UW_Football/status/1346257611197300736

With three years of eligibility remaining, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski hopefully has a centerpiece that he can utilize for all of those seasons. Ulofoshio isn’t just a great tackler with incredible instincts, he’s a swiss army knife. He can be utilized on special teams, he can handle himself in coverage, and is an excellent blitzer.

Don’t be surprised if as the 2021 season goes along, his name starts to rise on both draft boards and award watch lists. With Ulofoshio leading the charge, the Huskies will have as fierce of a front seven as ever, and if he’s getting day one love from the NFL in December, just remember that you heard it here first.

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