This offseason, Husky fans have heard a lot about offensive tackle Kodi Greene and defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa, two freshmen who’ve held starting jobs since arriving at spring camp. But Ramzak Fruean has shined as brightly as either since joining the Huskies, and is now becoming impossible to ignore.
Fruean, a native of Nanakuli, Hawaii, came to Montlake as a four-star linebacker prospect after spending his final two years of high school at Bethel High School in Spanaway, Wash. And although he was the team’s highest-rated linebacker commit from the class of 2026, he wasn’t labeled an immediate starter. The Washington team he joined was extremely deep at linebacker and was returning two starting edge rushers in Jacob Lane and Isaiah Ward.
However, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Fruean excelled in spring ball, particularly at the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters called him the camp’s “most splash play guy” and described him as combining “the athleticism of a nickelback with the size of an edge rusher.”
Fruean brought that same physical presence to fall camp, where he continued to impress the coaching staff. Outside linebackers coach Aaron Van Horn described his growth from spring camp to fall camp as “exponential” on Aug. 10.
“He’s taken a huge jump as far as the ‘football school’ piece of it…the technique and the fundamentals,” Van Horn said of Fruean. “And the other thing you can just watch: He practices harder than just about anybody. Practice is everything. That’s one of the things he embodies, and it’s showing up.”
As fall practices went on, Fruean continued to get first-team reps. And following Saturday night’s mock game, head coach Jedd Fisch confirmed what had become obvious to those in regular attendance:
“Ramzak’s gonna start for us, there’s no question about that,” Fisch said.
Jedd Fisch on freshman edge rusher Ramzak Fruean after tonight's mock game: "Ramzak's going to start for us. There's no question about that."
— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) August 23, 2026
Fruean, who lined up alongside Colman-Brusa, Lane, and defensive tackle Elinneus Davis on the team’s first defensive drive, finished the game with an unofficial sack and quarterback hurry. Fisch confirmed postgame that Ward, who didn’t play as he recovers from nagging injuries he suffered this offseason, will return next week to compete for rotational reps behind the true freshman.
Fruean’s immediate ascendancy to the Huskies’ starting lineup should excite Husky fans. Washington tallied just 21 sacks (tied for the Big Ten’s fifth-fewest) in 2025, and only six of those came from either Lane (four in 13 games) or Ward (two in seven games). Fruean’s length, speed, and bend gives the Huskies a wild card in the pass-rush, and a great chance to bump their sack numbers up.
Ramzak Fruean won’t just be playing defense
Fruean’s locked down a starting job at edge rusher, but that’s not likely to be his only role. Special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli had plenty of good things to say about Fruean, who’s been lining up on the interior of Washington’s starting kickoff coverage unit at fall practices.
“We have a couple usual psychos that are awesome,” Petrilli told reporters on Aug. 18. “[Devin] Hyde and Ramzak are unbelievable. And you know us, we play starters on there.”
Petrilli described Fruean as “a good addition” to a kickoff coverage unit which already features starters like linebacker Xe’ree Alexander and safety Rylon Dillard-Allen. He also issued a warning to any opposing player who might dare challenge the first-year phenomenon.
“I just think, like, you better be real technical when you’re on the kickoff return side of things,” Petrilli said. “You better drop your butt and hop-hop and do all the stuff you’re supposed to, because that train’s coming.”
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