The Washington Huskies added a second crucial defensive tackle to their roster through the transfer portal on Monday when Utah product Simote Pepa announced his commitment to spend his final year with coach Jedd Fisch in Seattle.
Pepa, a 6-foot-3, 340-pound product of coach Kyle Whittingham’s system, spent four years with the Utes and was extremely productive early before being limited by injuries later in his career. He missed five games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons after a dominant 2022 campaign that earned him a spot on the AP’s All-Pac-12 First Team and an honorable mention on College Football Network’s Freshman All-America Team.
That 2022 season saw him rack up career-highs in every area with 27 tackles, 6 for loss, 4 sacks, and 2 pass breakups. He finished his career at Utah with 45 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and those 4 sacks, and will have one year of eligibility remaining to use with the Huskies.
After Washington was consistently blown off the ball against the run in the second half of the season, Pepa will be an important factor in limiting the big, physical teams in the Big Ten that pride themselves on their downhill rushing attacks.
With his announcement, Pepa becomes the fourth transfer to join the Huskies for the 2025 season. He’ll join Western Michigan’s Anterio Thompson along Washington’s defensive line, while transfers Geirean Hatchett and Carver Willis will step in along the offensive line.
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