-
Follow Us
On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Tuli Letuligasenoa and Inoke Breckterfield have two of the longest names and shortest amounts of patience on the University of Washington football team.
They seemingly were made for each other — the easily agitated player and the demanding and grumpy coach.
A 6-foot-1, 313-pound junior from Concord, California, Letuligasenoa is a defensive tackle who a year ago had to be reined in by his previous coaches during spring practice because he continually wanted to tune up his fellow Huskies.
Going on four months now, Breckterfield is the third defensive-line coach in as many seasons for the UW, tasked with fixing an overly generous position area, bringing the strongest personality yet to fill this job.
Letuligasenoa was supposed to be a special player from the moment the Huskies flipped him from USC during his recruitment. Even as opponents had their way with the UW D-line last season, he began to show off his skill set to the point he was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
Breckterfield once was a great college player, receiving the Pac-10's 1998 Morris Trophy as the league's best lineman on either side of the ball and a third-team All-American selection at defensive tackle, all for Oregon State. He's someone who can provide a position blueprint.
Put them together, and Letuligasenoa guided by the insistent Breckterfield finally might lead a UW defensive-line resurgence.
"It's a new start, it's a refresh," Letuligasenoa said. "Basically, we're still trying to feel out the coach and the coach is still trying to feel out the players. It's still going. It's a work in progress. But I know where we're at right now. We're just trying to build each day."
With spring practice underway, we're offering intel and observations gathered on the UW football personnel in a series of stories on every scholarship player from No. 0 to 99. We'll review each Husky's previous starting experience, if applicable, and determine what comes next under new coach Kalen DeBoer.
As is the case with any coaching change, it's a new football beginning for everyone, including the Huskies' No. 91.
Letuligasenoa enters his fifth season at the UW having played in 27 games, including a dozen starts. He has 64 tackles, which include 4 for lost yards and a sack. He's collected 3 pass break-ups and he even came up with an interception last season at Arizona, as shown in the photo gallery.
It's been left up to Breckterfield to stop the giveaways in the trenches and make Letuligasenoa a leader in the process. They're working on this together.
"He's very detail-oriented," the UW defensive tackle said of his new coach. "He wants to know everything. He's in on everything, like your first step to your last step to your release to the tackle. He wants to know every single step. That's one of the main things he's been harping on to get me right — is to focus more on the details instead of just trying to make a play."
It will all be measured later in yards, which for everyone involved better be significantly fewer than the past two seasons.
UW Starter or Not: Letuligasenoa has been the only constant across the defensive line for a year now, starting 11 games last fall and coming back for more. Bookend tackle Taki Taimani bailed on the program and transferred to Oregon. Faatui Tuitele is injured. Kuoa Peihopa was injured, Jacob Bandes has developed at a gradual pace. Peihopa and Voi Tunuufi are young guys poised to play a lot. Letuligasenoa, who's put on 13 pounds since last fall, should start over the next two seasons. So it's up to him to lead this position group back to respectability once and for all.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky FanNation stories as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Husky FanNation on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated
More must-reads:
- Broncos' Sean Payton shares promising Bo Nix update amid competition
- Pistons parting ways with GM after hiring new head of ops
- The 'MLB stolen base leaders' quiz
Breaking News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
