Derek Colman-Brusa Is a Freshman Built Different, and UW's Defense Just Got Scary

The University of Washington football coaches talk about freshman Derek Colman-Brusa like they've engineered something in the lab that nobody else has seen before. When spring football rolled around, they flipped a switch on this then 17-year-old kid and showed the Big Ten what elite defensive line talent actually looks like when you build it from scratch.

Here's the wild part: every other program that recruited him saw an edge rusher. That's what he played at Seattle's Kennedy Catholic High School. The Huskies looked at the same tape and said nope, we're turning you into a defensive tackle. And it worked.

A Physical Specimen Who Moves Like a Smaller Guy

Colman-Brusa showed up to spring practice carrying a 6-5 frame at 295 pounds with the kind of athleticism you rarely see at that size. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters was blown away by what he could do on the field. "He still has the twitch and athleticism he had when was a little lighter and on the edge," Walters said. "So to have that athleticism coupled with the 6-5 frame and 295 pounds, he has a chance to be pretty special in there."

That combination is not normal. You don't get guys who are almost 300 pounds and can still move the way Colman-Brusa moves. Walters was so confident before spring ball even started that he didn't hold back. "I would be shocked if he's not a Day 1-type starter," he said. "He's 6-5, almost 300 pounds and can run. He's in the upper-echelon in the strength numbers."

A Freshman Path Nobody in UW History Has Taken

The historical comp is wild. Steve Emtman, maybe the greatest player in school history and the overall No. 1 NFL draft pick, redshirted his freshman year in 1988 at defensive tackle and didn't play at all. Vita Vea, one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL right now, did the same thing and redshirted his first year at Montlake.

Doug Martin started five games as a freshman back in 1976 before he passed away. Scott Garnett and Danny Shelton each started a couple of games as first-year players in 1980 and 2011. Colman-Brusa should blow past all of them in terms of his freshman impact.

Sure, he needed an adjustment period early in spring practice, but he played through it and came out the other side ready to go. This is the guy. The annointed one. Expect him to be a force in the Big Ten from day one.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.