Husky Roster Review: UW Hopes to Season D-Line With Some Pepa

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

It is hoped that Pepa, who played in 37 games over four seasons for Utah, will be a situational player for the Huskies and help shut down the middle against the run, who will be a difference-maker in short stints.

That's how the Utes used the Salt Lake City product, starting him just three times in his career there, and never more than once in a season.

Pepa, in fact, opened only against Baylor in 2022 as a redshirt freshman for a 10-4 Utah team that advanced to the Rose Bowl and lost to Penn State.

Yet the Associated Press made him a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, figuring his 27-tackle, 6-tackles-for-loss, 4-sack showing was enough to warrant that sort of attention.

His second career start for the Utes came in 2023 against Jedd Fisch's last Arizona team, but he didn't register a tackle that day in a 42-18 loss for him in Tucson.

That same season, he pulled reserve duty and and had a memorable play against an unbeaten UW team coached by Kalen DeBoer in a hard-fought 35-28 loss for Pepa and his teammates at Husky Stadium,

Pepa stepped up late in the fourth quarter and dropped quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for no gain on a third-and-1 play at the Utah 38 that came with no huddle, to momentarily give the Utes hope they might pull that one out.

The Huskies are banking on him bringing a veteran, mature approach to Montlake. He turned 24 on Valentine's Day, making him one of the team's older players. He just celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary, too. And he's five years removed from a two-year Mormon church mission before enrolling at Utah.

The UW just needs to be able to get Pepa, all 350 pounds of him or more, on to the field against the Ohio States, Michigans and Oregons on the upcoming schedule.

SIMOTE PEPA FILE

What he's done: What's notable about Pepa is he had his best season in 2022 and then his production dropped way off. He went from those 27 tackles to just 8 and 10 in the following seasons. Injuries no doubt got in the way. The Huskies would like to get a lot more out of him, especially in sacks.

Starter or not: Pepa has started in his college football career against Baylor in 2022, Arizona in 2023 and Colorado last season as first-team assignments simply have not been part of his make-up. His burgeoning size might have something to do with it. Stamina, too. Look for him to draw plenty of reserve situational snaps.

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