UW Updates Roster and Player Shoved by Lake Is Not On It

Not even 72 hours following the Alamo Bowl, the University of Washington football roster went through a weekend upgrade, largely adding recently signed recruits and removing veteran players out of eligibility.

Just one surprise turned up, though it might not have been breaking news to everybody: walk-on sophomore linebacker Ruperake Fuavai — destined to be an unforgettable name in program annals — was no longer part of the team.

At some point after the regular season ended, the UW athletic department disclosed that 6-foot-1, 231-pound player had entered the transfer portal. With a private Twitter account, he made no public pronouncement.

Fuavai, whose first name is pronounced "Roo-Per-Rocky," forever will be remembered as the somewhat innocent ignition point that led to the firing of Husky coach Jimmy Lake in 2021.

Playing on special teams against Oregon, the UW player joined in a harmless fracas with an opponent on a kickoff, prompting Lake to run down the sideline and give Fuavai a healthy shove that was caught by everyone watching the national TV broadcast.

In the aftermath of the 26-16 setback to the Ducks at Husky Stadium, Lake drew a suspension the following Sunday and he was dismissed a week later. The whole thing left everyone feeling more than a little uncomfortable, including Fuavai.

"He's a very, very quiet kid," then-interim UW coach Bob Gregory said at the time of a player he directly coached. "He's a really good kid. I think he's a little embarrassed by it all, but he's good."

A four-year UW player, Fuavai appeared in 18 games, the first 11 this past season before missing the Apple Cup and the Alamo Bowl, and he played almost entirely as a special-teamer.

He's one of seven UW players to enter the transfer portal over the past month.

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