Senior defensive lineman Anterio Thompson (54) flexes at a camera during a promotional photo shoot modeling Washington football’s new purple uniform. UW began favoring an all-purple look during its run to the 2023 College... (Courtesy UW Athletics / )
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Eight months into his time at Washington, Anterio Thompson is settling in well.
The 6-foot-4, 306-pound defensive tackle is about as Midwestern as possible.
He grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, a town of around 60,000 people situated on the Mississippi River. Thompson has played at three different programs during the past three seasons: Iowa Western Community College, Iowa and Western Michigan, respectively.
So Thompson, who enrolled at UW in January, is still learning to adjust during his first major foray to the West Coast. He prefers the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest to the frigid, Midwest.
There’s only one thing Thompson is still learning to live with as he acclimates himself with his new surroundings.
“The prices, for sure,” he said Sunday. “For sure. I went over to the — I think it’s called QFC — to get some salt and pepper, and I was like, ‘Five dollars for some salt and pepper?’”
Advertising Skip AdSkip AdSkip Ad
Thompson is one of several new defensive linemen the Huskies are relying on to rejuvenate a unit that struggled during the past season and lost several top contributors. Defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi, however, said UW has the right mix of rising talent and transfer experience to be more effective in 2025 and said this year’s group is significantly farther along than the defensive line was a year ago.
“There’s going to be some mistakes here or there along the way, absolutely,” Kaufusi said. “But that’s my job as the coach to continue to get them to where they need to be mentally and physically.”
Washington’s defensive line play was a weakness throughout the 2024 season. UW allowed 161.8 rushing yards per play, the fourth-highest mark in the Big Ten.
The Huskies were even worse in conference play. They gave up 170.1 yards per game on the ground against Big Ten opponents. Iowa, Penn State and Oregon each tallied more than 200 rushing yards against UW. Rutgers and Indiana each reached the 180-yard threshold. Only winless Purdue and three-win Wisconsin surrendered a higher amount of rushing yards per game.
UW also failed to effectively rush the passer or disrupt plays in the backfield. Its 20 total sacks ranked 15th in the Big Ten. Its 48 tackles for a loss ranked 17th.
The Huskies certainly needed to make some improvements. It also needed to replace some of its limited production. Starting defensive tackles Sebastian Valdez, whose 49 tackles ranked fourth on the team, and Jacob Bandes — along with versatile contributor Voi Tunuufi — ran out of eligibility after the season.
So Kaufusi needed to rebuild his unit. And unlike UW’s similarly plagued offensive line, the defensive line targeted serious upgrades in the transfer portal.
The Huskies added Thompson, a 12-game starter at Western Michigan in 2023, sixth-year defensive tackle Simote Pepa, the former first-team AP All-Pac-12 nose guard from Utah, and versatile senior Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, a familiar face to Kaufusi and coach Jedd Fisch who spent the past three seasons at Arizona.
Combined, Thompson, Pepa and Uiagalelei have played 90 FBS football games and weigh 936 pounds.
“I felt like being here gave me a lot of chances to excel and grow in different areas,” said Uiagalelei, who also joked Sunday that overcast Seattle skies were a significant improvement over the 100-degree fall camp weather he was accustomed to in Arizona.
But Thompson, Pepa and Uiagalelei aren’t the only reinforcements for Washington’s defensive line. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters spent large portions of UW’s early fall practices installing defenses with a five-player defensive front.
Sunday, Walters initial group included Thompson, edge rushers Zach Durfee and Jacob Lane, and defensive linemen Logan Sagapolu and Elinneus Davis, while the second group included Uiagalelei, Lane, Pepa, junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler and sophomore edge rusher Hayden Moore. Monday, the Huskies started with a four-player front including Uiagalelei, Butler, Davis and Lane.
“I feel good with all the guys you saw out there today,” Kaufusi said Sunday. “Those guys have had an amount of reps where I feel good, and they’ve earned my trust.”
Kaufusi noted the Huskies played some similar lineups under former coordinator Steve Belichick, but said being comfortable with multiple fronts is always a benefit simply because it forces offenses to study several different looks.
Washington also restructured its defensive line group this offseason. Kaufusi, who previously coached the entire defensive line, primarily focuses on defensive tackles now following the promotion of Aaron Van Horn, previously a defensive quality control coach, to outside linebackers coach.
Kaufusi said the move has allowed him to focus specifically on defensive tackle fundamentals and techniques. Regardless of who he’s coaching, however, Kaufusi said his goal is to teach his players to be problem solvers.
“I’m not the guy out there making plays, right?” he said. “So let me give you guys all the tools that are needed and then go to work. So when you start seeing them communicate to each other, when they’re talking to each other and they’re not relying on me, I think we’re in a great spot.”
Uiagalelei and Thompson both commended Kaufusi’s coaching style. Thompson said the defensive line coach’s focus on fundamentals has reminded him to keep things simple and focus on winning his individual matchups.
“Everybody wants to do all those cool things — the spin moves and all that,’ Thompson said. “But it’s like, do you know how to use your hands? Do you know how to use your feet?”
Getting back to the basics has been key for Thompson, especially as he adapts to his new surroundings and learns his fourth playbook in as many years. Thompson said he spent a majority of his early college years overthinking football situations instead of relying on his physical abilities. At Washington, Kaufusi and the Huskies have encouraged him to trust his intuition.
“Here, they tell me, ‘You’ve got all these physical traits,’” Thompson said, “‘Use them.’”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Seattle Times staff reporter Andy Yamashita covers UW football.
