Alphonzo Tuputala is a Husky

It always feels a little sweeter when the Huskies sign a local kid and they’ve got a good one in LB Alphonzo Tuputala. The 6’3, 240 pound linebacker out of Federal Way is rated as a 3 star prospect by the 247 sports composite rankings and the #51 ILB in the class. He committed to the Huskies back in June and the hometown Dawgs were his only offer from a power conference team.

Washington offered Alphonzo after he won both the LB MVP at their Rising Stars camp and the DE MVP at their Dirt Dawgs camp. He practically committed on the spot as it was the offer he’d always wanted and never took a visit or looked around anywhere else. It’s extremely impressive that he showed up in such a big way at multiple different positions in front of the entire coaching staff.

With that kind of versatility he could be employed in a number of different ways in the Husky defense. He played middle linebacker for Federal Way but has the size and speed to be a BUCK in Washington’s scheme. You’ll likely see him involved in some kind of pass rushing capacity during his time at UW.

There are certainly question marks at the linebacker spot in Washington’s defense in 2019. The Huskies lose both Ben Burr-Kirven and Tevis Bartlett to graduation and so there will be at least 2 new starters at those spots next season. D.J Beavers and Brandon Wellington are next in line at ILB but both have struggled with injuries early in their careers. It wouldn’t be a shock to see a true freshman or two crack the depth chart at that spot. If Tuputala is viewed as more of a BUCK then the path to early playing time may be less obvious with Joe Tryon and Ryan Bowman emerging late in the year. It seems reasonable to expect Alphonzo to redshirt this upcoming season and then fight for playing time a little later in his career.

Here are his senior highlights.