Zach Durfee Is No Longer a Secret, Just Needs to Stay Healthy

People have been waiting for the total unveiling of this gifted Husky defender for two years now, or ever since then edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt, now the North Dakota head coach, offered the following synopsis to slack-jawed media members.

"Genetically, he's maybe the best in the room just by who can run the fastest, who can jump the highest, who's the strongest, you know what I mean," said Schmidt, not prone to hyperbole. "I think he might be pound for pound that guy."

Durfee's high regard never went away, just his good health last season once he suffered double turf toe, barely draw many game snaps at all and had to shut down before having offseason surgery.

Now it's a new day, a hopeful coaching staff and the same old Durfee trying to launch his UW career in a meaningful manner. He has a lot to live up, according to a different coaching source.

"I'm really hopeful that Zach plays all 12 games, and if he does, I think he'll be one of the best defensive linemen in the Big Ten," Husky coach Jedd Fisch told ESPN. "He's one of the best players that I've seen. But, you know, he looks the part, he is the part, but he has to stay healthy."

In fall camp, the Huskies cautiously have readied him to play. He comes out and does his own customized stretching exercises, often with a trainer in tow, stretching out his feet, those previously troublesome heels specifically.

In the second game last season, Durfee was having the kind of game everyone expects from him on Saturday, stacking up 5 tackles and 2.5 sacks and just missing on a pick-6 interception against Eastern Michigan, when he got stepped on.

He immediately dealt with turf toe and tried to play on, but developed turf toe on his other foot by overcompensating.

Durfee got to the point in which he could barely walk.

He appeared in six UW games, some very briefly, and started three times.

The 6-7 Huskies might have been two wins better last season with him in the lineup doing his disruptive stuff on defense.

He had a lot of starts and stops.

He wore a protective boot and used a cane.

He's traded that stuff for great optimism.

"He can stop the run and rush the passer," Fisch said. "He can line up against a tight end, he can line up against an open-side tackle, he has real amazing flexibility to do all the things that you could ever ask for a defensive end."

The UW simply will ask him to stay healthy in a violent game, if possible, and see where that takes everybody this fall.

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