A Look at the 2006 UW Interior Defensive Line

There is a lot of excitement about the defense for this upcoming year. That excitement starts with the depth at defensive tackle. Only a few years ago we were beefing up LB's like Spencer Marona to play here because of recruiting problems, but it seems like we have been doing just fine recruiting this position despite the chaos of the last few years.

Duke Mateaki returns for his senior year. He really came on last year, and he will be moved around a bit depending on what the situation dictates. He is able to play from the end or the middle which gives the coaches a lot of flexibility when the situation arises. Wilson Afoa who was an unhearalded recruit from Hawaii has come in and passed up a lot of higher rated recruits in entrenching himself as the starter last year. White Frisbee should be ready to go this Fall after sitting out for what seemed to be a year with a broken foot. The Friz was a force in the middle his frosh year, and there were a few mild comparisons to Emtman.
The coaching staff has toyed with switching him to OT, and that is still a possibility. With Mateaki, Afoa, and White Frisbee you have a nice rotation inside. The depth doesn't stop there Reffert, and Lobos who both played considerably in the past return to provide some solid depth. Jovan O'Connor moved over form the OL last year, no report on if he is ready to make a move for playing time. On the recruiting front we brought in a couple of excellent recruits in Elisara, and Kosub. Elisara was among the top HS DL's in the country, and he could be ready to play this year if needed. Kosub was player of the year in Nevada, insiders say that Washington got a steal with this former Seattle resident. His HS coach says he has an unlimited ceiling, we shall see.

How well will they play together?

Mateaki has a lot of experience and a body made for Sunday. Still he has to have one heckuva of a year to get drafted, expect him to arrive ready to compete and move up the draft charts. Afoa has been really solid, he is a guy that improves each game, even if JWF is healthy, it will be tough to keep this guy on the bench.

I think Washington ends up having the best interior line in the conference in 2006. I think it will be tough to run on Washington, and with improved speed at LB, and in the DB ranks UW could have one of the top three defenses in the conference, and that should be good enough to get you to a bowl if your offense is any good.

On the recruiting front they have already recieved a verbal from Imeka Iweka the DL in Washington. This could could eventually end up at OT, but it just shows what a fine job Randy Hart has done to rebuild depth and experience in the trenches. the future is bright for the UW Defensive Line.