Ron McKeefery went to work with the Huskies over the winter conditioning period, and the results have been quite shocking to see. Mike Vorel over at the Seattle Times always puts together a great list on Twitter of some of the most notable weight fluctuations on the roster ahead of spring and fall camp, so before practices start on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the five most notable changes, and what they mean.
DL Siaosi Finau- 315 to 265
A 49-pound drop from the last update is (obviously) huge for the super athletic redshirt freshman. He’s still listed as a defensive lineman, but if the goal is to have him playing around 265 (much like Sav’ell Smalls, who we’ll get to later on this list), it appears the coaching staff wants him on the edge. At his size and with his athletic prowess, Finau has the potential to be an excellent edge rusher, and he might get some more snaps outside this spring.
EDGE Sav’ell Smalls- 250 to 265
Smalls gaining 15 pounds was a bit of a shocker, but with Finau’s weight change, it appears that there’s going to be a specific mold for edge rushers in William Inge’s scheme. It appears that one side, which will probably be occupied by Smalls, Finau, and Jordan Lolohea, will be a pocket collapsing/power rush position, while setting the edge against the run. With a healthy Zion Tupuola-Fetui on the other side, Smalls will see a lot of one-on-one matchups when rushing the passer and could have a breakout season.
EDGE Zion Tupuola-Fetui- 260 to 241
Speaking of ZTF… he’s now lost 39 pounds since his All-American season. As Vorel pointed out on Twitter, it remains to be seen if that’s a good or a bad thing. He played at 260 in 2021, and showed the same power and athleticism that he did in 2020 even after coming off of his Achilles injury. As he continues to refine his pass rush moves, he could solidify himself as one of the best edge rushers in the 2023 NFL Draft.
OT Roger Rosengarten- 285 to 294
This has been a story to watch since Rosengarten arrived on campus in 2019 as a top 100 prospect. He showed up on campus at 259 pounds, and it seems like he might finally be at a weight where he can play as a Pac-12 tackle. If he’s able to play with the same athleticism, anger, and power he showed on his high school tape, he’s going to be one of the best tackles in the country. He’s going to be one of the biggest names to watch this spring, especially after Kalen DeBoer said he’s got a shot at a starting job.
CB Dyson McCutcheon- 170 to 181
On film, McCutcheon was a dynamic playmaker in high school. He’s got great feet, short-area quickness, and a nose for the football. But, like a lot of high school defensive backs, he needed to put on weight when he got to Washington. For comparison, Elijah Molden played his senior season at nickelback at 190 pounds, so it seems like he’s getting closer to working his way into the rotation. McCutcheon could find a way to work himself into the two-deeps this spring, and the redshirt freshman has sky-high potential on the back end for the Huskies.
