Buelow Joins Fellow Husky Kalepo on Mississippi Line

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jan 25, 2024 6:24 PM ET

Walking out of the Superdome in New Orleans on New Year's Day, Julius Buelow had a big smile on his face. He had just shared in an overly satisfying 37-31 victory over Texas in the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinals.

It was such a feel-good moment, it's a wonder the University of Washington offensive guard ever wanted to leave the place.

Truth is, Buelow felt right at home in that Southern fried region of the country. He's going to spend the next several months there.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-9, 313-pound lineman announced he would play his sixth and final college football season for Mississippi, joining fellow former starting UW guard Nate Kalepo, who committed to the Rebels a few hours earlier.

The SEC continues to benefit from the Huskies' electric playoff run to the CFP title game with Ole Miss welcoming those two members of the UW offensive line and Alabama lining up nine coaches, players and recruits once claimed by the Huskies.

For Buelow, his patience has been rewarded after his Husky career hit a snag in 2021. He started the first five games as a sophomore but, as Jimmy Lake's team began to lose and disappoint, the big kid from Kapolei, Hawaii, was deemed one of its problem areas and he was yanked from the opening lineup.

When Kalen DeBoer's staff came in, it didn't rally around Buelow right away, using him only as a sub in seven games.

However, this season the coaches made a concentrated effort to get Buelow in the field and he started two-thirds of the season in and around an unspecified leg injury suffered at Michigan State.

Buelow was on the field for the final eight games of the season, which included the Pac-12 championship game and the CFP playoffs. He played well enough that he and Kalepo have been welcomed by Ole Miss, which used former Husky Victor Curne as a starting tackle last season.

These two might be a tad disappointed when they pull out the 2024 Rebels football schedule and find that Alabama isn't on it.

They won't face DeBoer, their former Husky line coach Scott Huff, one-time starting center Parker Brailsford and others unless both sides advance to the SEC championship game.

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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