headtopics
Huskies Feel They Can Win With Guy Named Champ Champ Taulealea has a name that suggests he is a winner.
Title-holder, prize-winner, a champion no less.
Yet he holds down a starting job for the University o Champ Taulealea has a name that suggests he is a winner.
Yet he holds down a starting job for the University of Washington football team that was handed to him this past spring almost by default before any real competition could get started.
Taulealea was inserted as the No.
1 offensive right guard having got there after the Husky dominoes up front toppled in a weird way.
After backing up veteran Geirean Hatchett for all of 2025, he took over at that guard spot when Hatchett generously agreed to replace his injured brother, Landen, as the Huskies' starting center for spring ball only.However, the older Hatchett, didn't last two practices in April as this rent-a-snapper suffered an elbow mishap that ended his spring, as well.
Champ Taulealea was the starting right offensive guard for all 15 spring practices.| Dave Sizer photo This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.
Taulealea and Hatchett, according to Husky coach Jedd Fisch, will resume their competition in fall camp in what could be one of the better position battles heading into the season opener against Washington State in the Apple Cup.Yet it would be safe to say that the 6-foot-5, 344-pound Taulealea from Milpitas, California, might have the upper hand over his teammate once they get after it.
After all, this younger lineman took part in all 15 spring practices while Hatchett appeared in just one and a half workouts in preparing for the coming season.Taulealea likewise was one of the Huskies' more touted recruits coming in with last year's class and seemingly should be on schedule to handle major responsibility when everything counts."Champ and Devin Hyde are going to have big years this year," said former UW offensive lineman Carver Willis, now with the San Francisco 49ers.
"Two young guys who I think just have maximum potential.
"The Huskies also might be inclined to go with the younger, fresher player entering his second college season versus Hatchett facing his seventh.No doubt the coaching staff will come up with some sort of fail-proof criteria that determines whether Taulealea or Hatchett is more deserving of the starting job."I think with the reps he's gotten with the first team at right guard, he's different from last year," UW line coach Michael Switzer said of Taulealea during spring ball.
"He's taking it very seriously.
": As a freshman, Taulealea appeared in five games as a reserve player against UC Davis, Purdue, UCLA, Oregon and Boise State in the LA Bowl, enough to season him yet preserve four years of eligibility.
He arrived at 360-plus pounds and is down 15-20.: He was such a highly regarded player, with Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Tennessee and USC among his most ardent suitors, the Huskies brought him in only with the intentions of starting him.
It was just a matter of when.
Loading recommendations..
Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsDan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer.His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time.
In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S.
Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.