A future UW starting offensive line to consider

It seems the mark of a top college football offensive line is one with great nicknames and first names.

Champion, this is Moose.

He also has an over-the-top approach.

Consider that this one would average nearly 6-foot-6, 305 pounds per man if he played today, and he’ll probably have grown quite a bit if or when it all comes together in, say, 2027.

They are all raised in California, with three coming from the Bay Area and the other two from SoCal.

Not to disrespect Zach Henning, Soane Faasolo, Elishah Jackett or Kahlee Tafai, who each have four seasons of eligibility remaining at Montlake, but Champ Taulealea’s oral commitment to the University of Washington football program on Thursday had us imagining what a more futuristic starting O for the Huskies. -line — all Jedd Fisch-approved and made-to-order to fully establish membership in the overly physical Big Ten — might look like.

Consider, from left to right, the following top five players: Justin “Moose” Hylkema, Taulealea, Jake Flores, Paki Finau and Davit Boyajyan.

Fisch signed one of them, has oral commitments from two others, welcomed another to UW for the first time for spring practice and has the fifth newcomer arriving this weekend. Another candidate who isn’t in our top five is Michael Levelle Watkins, a freshman from Arizona who is much more compact at 6-foot-2 and 315 pounds, and we were going to be a giant-sized group in this particular waking dream.

Here’s what these five selected guys could provide four years from now in a season that opens at home against Fresno State — call it the Kalen DeBoer Bowl — and involves games against Nebraska, Penn State, USC and Oregon, but not Michigan or Ohio. State:

Moose Hylkema, LT, 6-8, 315 — This Santa Clara product showed up to watch a few spring practices and he looked all extra-large, if not sporting a wider frame than all the veterans in uniform who l were around at the time. He arrives this weekend with a chance to play right away if he can physically adapt to the demands of the Big Ten. Fisch is known for starting true freshmen.

Taulealea Field, LG, 6-4, 325 — This guy is a blue chip player and 4 star prospect because he can shoot and run the line like Troy Fautanu and major powers like Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon and USC wanted him. Another Bay Area recruit for the class of 2025, this guy is so athletic for someone his size, his San Jose high school, Valley Christian, used him as a defensive tackle and he sometimes has video of him coming quickly at the quarterback and completely leveling him.

Jake Flores, C, 6-6, 280 – Another 2025 arrival, Flores from San Juan Capistrano will come to UW with the ability to play all five forward positions. He has a list of pursuers similar to Taulealea’s, with offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, USC and Ole Miss among 22 scholarship offers before settling on Fisch and the Huskies. He hails from the same JSerra Catholic High School that sent Nick Harris and Luke Wattenberg to the Huskies and then the NFL. His versatility should take him far.

Paki Finau, RG, 6-5, 285 — He’s the only one of the group who is already battle-tested after enrolling early and participating in the Husky’s spring practices and running with the No. 1 offensive line throughout. Another 4-star prospect from the Mojave Desert town of Hesperia, he was recruited by Miami, Nebraska, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn and Oregon, among others. His reputation precedes him, with one media outlet ranking him among the top 30 freshmen entering the college game this fall.

Davit Boyajyan, RT, 6-6, 305 — DeBoer found this guy in his Fresno backyard, a sleeper recruit who only played football in high school and even missed his sophomore season because of COVID. He was previously a basketball player and carried around a lot of extra weight, since he weighed 335 pounds. Lightly recruited due to his inexperience, Boyajyan arrives in Montlake this weekend ready to show everyone that he does, indeed, belong at the FBS level and in the Big Ten.

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