CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: WASHINGTON VS MICHIGAN

January 6, 2024

Edefuan Ulofoshio

NRG Stadium

Washington Huskies

Press Conference

Q. I've seen you guys block this year (inaudible) seen you guys more times, you guys find a way. (Indiscernible). What's the mentality of this particular team?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I incorporate it with just thoughts of winners win. Like every single time we get out there on the field we're trying to win games. And the fact we're trying to be resilient, it's the same thing in certain one-on-one battles we go through, whether it's like conditioning or it's bench press, where it's just like, no matter what type of opposition is against us, we're trying to win.

And it doesn't matter if it's 45-pound plate, another person or another city. At the end of the day you just want to win. Every single person in this world wants to be winners. And you've got to get through your obstacles.

For us to be clutch, it's just our will to win. We're going to fight until the last second every single time we get the chance to.

Q. You go against one of the most prolific offenses in all of college football. How does that sharpen your style of (indiscernible)?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just discipline. It allows us to be way more disciplined. If we make a mistake, our offense is going to capitalize on every single chance they can get. When we're playing these high-ranked teams, talented teams like Texas, Oregon, Michigan, we already know that the margin of error is so small. But there's just no pressure to that because we've been trained to do that on a week in, week out basis.

Q. You guys have had an edge to you. Obviously (indiscernible) Sugar Bowl. (Indiscernible) noise talked (indiscernible) the Longhorns beforehand. Where did that come from, and how much did it carry over into this game?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just a lot of disrespect towards us. A lot of people just think that the West Coast is kind of soft and they don't really deserve to play football. And it's kind of disrespectful because all guys are there to play football.

Everybody loves football. I came from Alaska. I didn't really care if I was playing football in Alaska or Alabama. We have such a passion for the game out here, so when we're put in these great scenes it kind of feels like we're being diminished. It's (inaudible), so we definitely want to represent our (indiscernible) well.

Q. How did a guy from Alaska develop a passion for football?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Well, there's not too much to do in Alaska, so playing little league football and literally it's one of those things where you just kind of love it. And I remember as a kid I would imagine myself as America's team, like those little documentaries they have on NFL Network. And every time we won state, I would think of myself being the guy interviewed like on a game-to-game basis.

It's just been great. I've always loved football from a young age, to the point where I almost cried when my parents were like, if you don't get your grades up you're not going to play. So it's been a whirlwind. I love this sport.

Q. You're the underdog again in this. How much do you all talk about that?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: We've been the underdog basically all year. There's been games in our own conference that we've been the underdogs in.

At the end of the day, they're 1, we're 2. So what is an underdog? You just gotta go win the game. When everything is on the line, does it even matter who is the underdog? It's all about execution, all about winning this game and representing for people that you love and that you respect and who brought you here. That's what it's all about.

Q. I know you've told your story many times. I want to go through it a little bit the walk-on story. Out of high school, what was the interest you had from schools?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I had offers from Robert Morris and NAU. And by the time it was time to make a decision, I think the staff at Robert Morris got fired, so really lucky with NAU. And I felt like I wanted to take a risk, take a chance.

And I kind of talked to my parents and said if I could walk on and they could pay some tuition a little bit. They believed in me. And I really appreciate that.

And how I got to Washington, I literally did my research. I was researching every single Pac-12 school. And I just felt like Washington was a perfect fit for me. And like literally randomly, like a week later, their tight ends coach, Jordan Paopao, called me and said we're going to offer you a preferred walk on in the middle of class, and I took it.

And he was, like, are you sure you don't want to talk to your parents about it? I'm like, I think they'll be fine. I think it's a good pick.

Q. Had you reached out to them to let them know you were interested?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I asked my coach to. I don't know if he ever did. But I guess they got some word of me.

Q. Why do you feel you were overlooked out of high school?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I had a lot of talented players. I played with the number one linebacker in the country. I played with the number one tight end in the country, number one QB in the country.

As high school players, it's kind of how it happens. It's out of my control. But I knew I was a good player. I knew that I could give a lot to a team. So that's kind of why I wanted to walk on. But it's just the way the cards were dealt. I don't really like to think about it too much. But it is what it is.

Q. Back then, even in the best-case scenario, could you have envisioned this, what you're doing now?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: You kind of visualize it. You imagine them, but you obviously know that a lot of this is out of your control and a lot of this is, it's hard to do. But you always work towards it.

And it's definitely a blessing to be here, but to say that when I walked in there on campus I was going to be at the national championship, probably not. Probably a lot more objectives, of course, but this is awesome. This is definitely something that we've been working towards for a long time.

Q. What do you recall when you were put on scholarship? Were you expecting it then?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: No, I did not. I did not. I just remember sitting in the middle row, like basically in the middle row of the front row of the team meeting room. And everybody jumping on me and breaking the chair. I literally sit in that chair every single day.

So it was a special moment just being able to call my parents and tell them they don't have to pay tuition anymore because we pay out-of-state and it's really expensive.

It was a special moment, special moment. And it made me very grateful and more inspired to keep going and not just be like a guy that got on scholarship and it kind of just like plateaus. (Indiscernible). I like to think that I got better from that moment.

Q. Five starters on defense; six, seven starters on your offense and defense. Why do you think it is? Why did all of you guys come back together? And then the other thing is, how much has that helped you guys when you're playing this stretch of close games like you have?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think injuries have a lot to play on why every one of us is at year six. But at the end of the day, Coach DeBoer coached us. He recruited the heck out of us. And we have a lot of gratitude to him and just the belief in ourselves and the belief in this team and the belief that we can get something like this done, it kept us all together and made us not want to go to the league or to enter the transfer portal because we believed in this program, we believed in this team, and we wanted this moment to happen for this team and this university.

Q. About the close games, (indiscernible) all the maturity you guys have?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I give that more to the staff because there's been a lot of times where I've lost those close games with other staffs, and just the way that we're brought up where we can just be resilient, no matter what type of situation we're in. I give a lot of credit to Coach (indiscernible) and Coach DeBoer and the staff in term of just being able to mentally be ready for any type of thing that comes our way.

Q. Michigan has proven throughout the season to have a very good offensive line, but your offensive line for your team won the Joe Moore Award. How do you think practicing against them every single day helped you prepare for this moment?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Yeah, our offensive line is very aggressive, very fast. And they are one of the best O lines I've played. And I gotta give a lot of credit to Michigan's O line, too, because not only have they been an elite O line, they've been elite O line for years and years.

When I played them in '21 they were extremely dominating, and they've only gotten better since then.

Our offensive line, they do an incredible job of just taking care of Mike and give D.J. a lot of lanes. But Michigan has, like, a different sort of scheme. And Blake Corum is a really lucky running back to be playing behind those guys. And you got to find a way to decipher that, figure out their schemes or keys and be ready to go.

Q. Moving forward, plans for pre-med I heard?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Yes, pre-med (indiscernible). Just finished a pre-med (indiscernible), graduated with a degree in public and global health.

Q. What do you hope to do with that?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I want to do pediatrics. I want to take care of kids. And that's kind of a main goal.

Obviously I want to start doing the little things like internationally in terms of just shrinking health disparities in certain communities. Lots of work to do after football.

Q. But still want to keep playing football after this?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Of course, as long as possible.

Q. When you look back on your story in totality, what makes you the most proud and what stands out to you just when you think about it?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think as a freshman, like I had all these big goals, like, oh, I want to play football, I want to do all this, and then I want to go med school and do all those other things.

And towards that process, there's a lot of times where I'm just thinking to myself, man, this is hard. I don't know how people do this. Like this makes sense why people can't do both.

Just to be able to get to this point and to say that I'm in a very comfortable position of being able to accomplish both those things, it's a whirlwind.

It's just a testament to the man upstairs for always taking care of me and always keeping me in my good spirits and just not giving up, not letting anybody tell you what you can and can't do. Because the world will tell you what you can't do, but at the end of the day it's all God and it's all his will. It's no one else's will. I'm very grateful, very grateful.

Q. What was the moment at Washington where you knew you belonged?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I would say the Oregon State game, my sophomore year, where I was still a walk-on, and the starting Mike got hurt and I was literally the only linebacker left. And so I basically had a great game, won conference player of the week. I thought I might actually be as good as I think I am. So that was a pretty special moment.

Q. You mentioned Oregon State. And looking at this year's game against Oregon State, this is a team that came in with a pretty good running back and you guys battled him in the rain. What does it take to slow down a good running team?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: You have to be very precise with your fits. You have to understand every single scheme because at the end of the day, like, when you play dominant running teams, they're going to do their job. The holes are going to be super tight and crisp, and the running backs aren't going to let you get tackled.

And at the end of the day you have to know what type of schemes you're fitting and know what your D line is doing, and you've got to go down hill and play fast. You can't just be stagnant, playing back and let things come to you because that's where they get the yards.

It's about nipping things in the bud, don't let things prolong and don't let drives get elongated because that's when they get you. It's about being disciplined and getting them down immediately and not let them gash you.

Q. That's going to be a key on Monday?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Huge key.

Q. How much fun was that at the UW? We were down here in Houston. We saw the video. But it was like boys in the boat again with the crowd sending you off. How special was that moment?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's incredible. It's absolutely incredible. I've heard stories about what it's like when UW is at its best. And just to be able to see the city send us off that way is special. And it's the reason why I came here because I love -- when I say I love Husky Nation, I really do.

When I'm watching the old games and I'm seeing the culture, the '85 Orange Bowl, the '91 Rose Bowl, when you see those games, you can just tell why there's such a thick culture and a thick, rich love and passion for Husky football here.

And as a player understanding that I take a lot of pride in being able to give my best effort and put my best foot forward because the fans deserve it. The city deserves it. This place means the world to me. So I take it to heart, I really do.

Q. Total team sport, but you guys have won 10 straight now by 10 or fewer points. You've heard that stat. How key are those nine guys on the team that have played on this team for six years, having veterans on the field on those big moments like that, how key is that?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think we just have a lot of experience of not winning those close games and through reflecting and understanding what could we have done different in the past. Playing six years, you play a lot of games and you've been in a lot of scenarios. But you start to learn and improve.

That's the most important thing -- we got to improve week in, week out. Although we would rather win by 20 for the rest of these games, but being in those close games it allows us to be able to execute at a high pressure and high level consistently.

I wouldn't have it any other way. But it's we just try to play our best game every single time we get out there.

Q. How has that experience of close games this season, defense coming up big, how does that prepare you for a national championship game?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Prepares you a lot. Understanding that at this point every single team is talented, and at the end of the day it's always who wants it more. Obviously I'm not expecting for a blowout or anything, but I'm expecting 12 rounds. I'm expecting a team to give us their best punch and we're going to give them our best punch.

And at a game basis, anything could happen, and just there's going to be a moment in the game where it's going to be super intense, super high, someone is going to win the game. That's kind of where my mindset is.

Q. This team has talked about its belief level all through the season and how that's reflected on the field. What does that look like heading into the days of the national championship?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just the mindset of it's still another game. It's still another 60-minute game and that you have to win it. There's no titles before this game, you know what I mean? It's about doing your job, keeping the main thing the main thing, and not making it more than it needs to be.

Q. What's one thing you hope to show on the field Monday night?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just the heart, the passion. My last game in college. The only thing I want to show is that I gave it my all. There's nothing left after this for me, so I have to make sure every snap counts.

Q. If you look at the scoreboard and Washington has more points than Michigan, what went right for the Huskies?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Ask me on Monday.

Q. Repping the Pac-12's last hurrah, how important is that for you?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's huge. It's huge because there's a lot of pride in being a West Coast team. There's a lot of stigma towards it about whether we're soft or what this or what that means.

But we have a tremendous pride, like our families come here. A lot of people on this team are from the West Coast. So not only are we playing for the University of Washington, but we're playing for the people that are from Cali, the people from Arizona, and that there's a certain stigma that's aligned to it. But we take a lot of pride in where we're from and we have a lot of people on our back.

Q. What was that moment like when you got put on scholarship, and how did that whole process go from your perspective?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It was literally right after Pete retired and I kind of thought that I was going to get it because he just left. But like the first team meeting, Coach kind of walks up and he was talking about Dogs and he starts to mention me. And it's kind of going over my head about what's going on in the moment.

But he pauses, and I'm like that's when it finally clicked. And I didn't even think I heard him say I got put on scholarship. The next thing I just knew was the whole team was on me, celebrating with me.

It was a special moment. Like, to this day I still sit in that chair to that very day. And it just meant a lot because I worked, at that point, I worked my butt off just to be recognized as a respectable player on the team. And to get on scholarship just meant I got a lot of respect from a lot of people. Meant the world to me.

Q. What's the difference between being a walk-on versus scholarship beyond not having to pay those checks?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Like mentally nothing, because I always wanted to play at the highest level possible. Whether I was a walk-on or not I always tried to be better, always tried to be the best player I could be.

Now, the checks were very, very important during the process of that. Not having to ask my dad for tuition every 10 weeks was pretty sweet. And honestly, my mindset before and after the scholarship was just not letting the scholarship be like the peak of my career and always trying to get better and always trying to bring another step to my game.

After that I just try to be the best player that I can be, whether I can be a starter, be an all-conference player, be an All-American. Whatever those goals would be, just to take it to the next step in everything you do.

Q. How special has this run been given so many guys have been either in your recruiting class or thereabouts, all the veterans?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It means the world. Just being here for six years, understanding that it's been a long ride. Been on a 4-8 team, lost a head coach, lost a lot of brothers during this ride. And just being able to finish strong, and this is the strongest we've ever finished.

And being able to -- I came from the Rose Bowl, my first year was a Rose Bowl. In my head I'm thinking however I got in I have to give it back. To give back this back in my last year means the world. It means I really appreciated the people that came before me.

Q. Can you tell me about your childhood in Alaska?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I would say very uneventful but very eventful at the same time. Went to Huffman Elementary. There were a lot of days I would go on a bus and I would see a moose right in front of my house, and I would say, I guess I'm not going home right now, and I just have to take a block around and see if it's gone.

But it was cool. It's a very beautiful state. A lot of times I went skiing with my friends, ice skating all the time. Big basketball town. So like everybody who had hoop dreams -- I had crazy hoop dreams. I thought I was going to be the next Carlos Boozer, something like that.

And I think in high school -- high school football in Alaska is like college football out here. Every single school has a little culture and stuff like that. And mad rivalries, and it's a big scenic event. It was a blast.

Q. How did your family end up in Alaska in the first place?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Well, long story short, my uncle, which is like my dad's older brother, was in Alaska. When my dad went to the (indiscernible), my uncle was there, he just followed him there.

Q. Where was your dad living before there?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Nigeria.

Q. Did it feel like home to you or were you always kind of drawn to maybe the football culture and the rest of the United States?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I loved football from a very young age. Like I was telling someone earlier, my favorite TV, my favorite TV show was literally NFL Network, NFL GameDay. I would be watching that, I would be imagining myself and championship seasons when I had kid, as the America's team documentaries.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized that kind of like the business of football, in terms of getting recruited to get to the next level that Alaska wasn't the greatest fit for me structurally at that time. And that's why I kind of wanted to take my talents to the Lower 48 to see what I could do.

But I'll always love Alaska, I'll always love what that state did for me.

Q. What does your dad do in Alaska?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: He does real estate. He owns a couple of apartments across Alaska. And he does healthcare as well.

Q. When you go to Bishop Gorman, did you leave your family in Alaska, or how was that dynamic working out?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Well, my mom was doing her practicum in Vegas. So I kind of hitchhiked with her. We lived in Vegas for about half a year. Then my little brothers came and my dad came as well. It was only like a six-month span where it was just me and my mom.

Q. I'm assuming the decision to go to Bishop Gorman --

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It was my decision for sure, because I was going to go to Liberty. And I already watched "Soup and Sun" (phonetic), so I knew the football scene in Vegas. I was like there's no way I'm going to Vegas and not going to Gorman.

Q. You wanted to win a championship and you wanted to get noticed by scouts by college coaches?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Yes.

Q. You won a high school championship?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Yes.

Q. What do you remember about that?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I just remember how hard it was. I remember how hard it was. I remember my coach telling me that in the middle of December it's like you're going to win this championship. Either you're going to be with us or I'll drag you to the mountaintop. I remember through the most adverse moments that we were able to pull out wins.

We played a lot of talented teams back then. Played St. Thomas Aquinas and Bubba blocked the freakin' game-winning field goal. Been a lot of times when you're put in adverse situations, and it takes an amount of connectedness to your teammates, a lot of love and camaraderie.

You have to be close. It's not just about having talented players. You have to have players that like each, staff that works together. It takes a whole village to be in places like this.

Q. Was there culture shock being in Vegas at first because that's a bit different from where you lived in Alaska?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's hot, so hot. Being in Alaska, I didn't understand what it's like to be in Vegas in the summer, to live there. It's actually kind of terrible.

But I mean culture in the sense that I would say Alaska is more outdoorsy -- there's a lot of things you can do outdoors.

Vegas is like business, like flashing lights everywhere and everything is moving at a faster pace. And people are moving that way either. It's not a knock on them or anything. It's just what it is, two different cultures.

Q. You win a high school state championship. You're a win away from a college football national championship. Have you wrapped your mind just around how at each step of the way, at each level you're getting to the highest point?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: A little bit. It's definitely -- coming from a place like Gorman makes games like this conceptually easier to comprehend. But at the end of the day the game hasn't started yet. There's no winners yet. We'll have to earn it.

We're playing a great Michigan team and we're not going to look over that because I won a national championship in high school or we're in a national championship now. Every game must be earned. Every team will be crowned.

So at the end of the day, just a lot of work to do. A lot of game planning, a lot of scheme and things we can get better at so we can be in the best position to win that game on Monday.

Q. You started playing basketball and then switched over to football. When you made that switch over to football when did you know that CFP was a goal for you?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: The reason why I switched to football really was because I was moving to Gorman, and Gorman is a great basketball school. And I realized the way my height is going it's not going to end up very well for me. So I just thought football was the best route.

You know, you go to these super high prep schools, I think there's a good benefit to it because you're playing for the highest rewards and stuff.

We get to these moments, I think, as a kid you always want to win championships and you always want to push it. And to get to this point -- and it wasn't just me. There's like a lot of teammates, you have to have camaraderie. You have to have players that really like each other and they all have the focus of winning.

When you see teams that go 8-5, 7-6, they have talented players, but there's a lot of focus on other things. I've seen it with my own eyes. Or just like leadership, where it's you see something wrong, but either you don't feel like it's your place or you just simply just don't care or you don't want to acknowledge it because you want to get yours.

I think the difference with this team, we're always holding each other accountable and striving to be the best and always trying to win games.

I think it's a huge testament to Coach DeBoer and the staff because that's the first thing they instilled when they got here was being a player-led team. It's super important in college football today. It just means the world, means the world to be in this moment.

Q. This is year 10 of CFP and also going to be the last year that it's four teams. What does it mean to you to be the last team playing that game?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's a special moment. It's a special moment because not to say it's going to be easier going forward, but it's definitely a lot harder getting into this moment now.

And the filter of the best teams, you're playing the best teams. That's as simple as that. Everybody gets a month off. Obviously in the future, I mean, injuries are going to happen. You might not get the best teams or you may get your best teams. So just being able get this super exclusive group and be part of this, it's definitely great to be part of college football history.

Q. Do you remember the first ever CFP game you watched?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I do. I do. It was Oregon getting blown up by Ohio State. But it was a cool experience. It was definitely new from the BCS system. I don't remember it crazy well, but it was definitely a unique thing I'm seeing.

Q. You talked earlier about growing up watching NFL GameDay and seeing yourself in championships and seeing yourself. Now that you're here, now that you're at the mountaintop, how does this moment compare to what you dreamed about as a kid, and what does this mean to you? What does this experience mean to you?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's a lot more business than I thought it would be. A lot more meetings. A lot more steps.

Q. Interviews.

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: But it's awesome. It's absolutely a blessing. I wouldn't have it any other way because you strive to get to these moments. It comes with the good, the bad and the ugly. There's been a lot of adversity that comes with getting to this point, but it's been a ride. I think that's what it's all about.

Being able to work your butt off, work your tail off to get to this point. And even if you don't get to this point, it's the fact that you tried or you made the effort to.

But us as a team, we all came together and came to the conclusion that this is our goal, this is what we're going to do. That's the slogan "us versus us" is all about.

We have the opportunity to get to the point like this, but because of the schedule we had, every team can beat us and we can beat every team. It's up to us to make that decision.

So, making that decision to put your forefoot forward and try to compete and win every game you can. And it starts by winning every rep in the weight room and winter conditioning and certain, like, every aspect. It's been great.

Q. You've now done obviously the Sugar Bowl and the national championship. What's been the best kind of -- bowl swag is a weird to say for the championship -- but what swag have you liked so far as a player?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's kind of hard to say that because Damian Lillard came yesterday and decked us out in a whole bunch of swag. I would say the swag we got last night -- we got three jumpsuits, we got three pairs of shoes, we got a couple of hats and a couple of sandals -- that was pretty hard to beat. What happened last night, pretty hard to beat.

But it's just kind of like the vibe and experiences. It's like a level -- like, when you're playing a video game and you unlock something, you get that fresh gear, that's what it's like. It's just that next level, that next juice.

Q. We've seen what Michael can do on the field. But also seeing him show up to the Heisman Trophy ceremony with every player's name on the inside of his jacket, just what's he meant to the team?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's meant the world. When I say he came in here, just putting his head down and working, that's exactly what he did. It was kind of like in the spring where we were watching film and Mike makes a certain throw, and I'm sitting there. He's like, made that throw. That was Michael. How about no one touch No. 9 the rest of spring ball.

He's so down to earth. He's a person that he's very approachable. He's going to give you the best advice. He loves his team authentically. There's no superstar in him. He's really a humble guy who wants the ball. And I think we all fall him in that sense.

Q. How has this team used being an underdog the last few games as motivation and fuel?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think that's just the culture of this team. We don't have crazy five stars. The traditional Washington, it's just people that keep their head down and work.

They just try to win everything because that's what -- that's what this is all about. It's about winning. It's not about how many stars you have, how much money you've got. Football is all about who scores what points at the end of the day. And that's what we embody and that's what we're all about.

It's not about all that. We're trying to win games. And who is with us is -- who we've got is all we need at the end of the day.

Q. What would winning a national title mean to you?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It would mean the world. It would mean the absolute world just because this university hasn't won it in such a long time and they talk about how great those moments are and the fact that we've gone through much as a program just in like the past four years.

It would mean the absolute world to get that done and finish out strong. That being my last college football game that would be a sweet ending as well.

Q. It's not often probably that you see an offense like this that probably doesn't care to hide what they want to do to you. They just want to run it down your throat and they're going to tell you that and then try to do it. How excited does it make you to know that it's going to be a physical confrontation and that kind of match-up?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's the best of the best. It's mano y mano. It's a 12-round fight. It's always exciting to play those games, line up and play ball and just see which one's really better. At the end of the day that's kind of what you play football for.

It's what we did as little kids -- which one's better? None of the tricky, rinky dink stuff.

Give a lot of credit to that team they fight hard. Obviously being in Ann Arbor, I know what they're all about. They're aggressive. They're tough. They're going to show you what they're going to do.

They're going to try to punch you in the (indiscernible). They're going to come out in the game, they're going to have a sledgehammer, and they're going to go for the head. So definitely know what they're all about.

Q. You mentioned it. You were there two and a half years ago. You guys were a very different team. They did exactly what they wanted to do. They ran for 340 yards in that game. How much different do you feel like you are and everybody around you is that kind of lived through that, experienced that?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: That's the thing. We won't know until we play. But at the end of the day it's always about maturity and growth. And I think this team has grown exponentially since then in terms of just like going into certain environments with certain brands, and just being able to not play inferior, which is something that I always talked to Coach DeBoer about when he first initially got here when we had to cut out.

And being able to play and compete at a high level regardless of who we're playing, and truly playing the game of football for what it's worth and not trying to put yourself at a disadvantage about who you're playing.

So this time around, we're going to be a more confident team. We're going to be a team that's going to really try to win and compete for everything that we can get.

Q. This is finally your last game at UW. You've had a lot of lasts along the way.

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: A lot of potentials, that's for sure.

Q. Does it feel like this is coming to an end for you, or has it not sunk in yet?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It hasn't, but I know it will. It's amazing, it's been amazing. Great way to end it, not going to lie. Sweet way to end it. And on Monday, the game's going to go. There might be a few, but right now it's just work. Just as usual. Work as usual.

Q. I talked to Rich Newton for a while, a guy who like was the man here and has had to kind of accept a reduced role. Seems like he's been a great teammate along the way. Not everybody would stay through that. What have you seen from him in terms of being a teammate and being that consummate person through what's got to be a complicated situation?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's definitely hard for Rich to go through what he had to go through. I think we did our knee roughly around the same time. And so for him to be able to, like, not only help me throughout my process but to help other players to bring people along. It takes a village. I don't take it lightly when I say that, we're not here without Rich or Mason Wheeler or Teddy Purcell, you know what I mean? It takes everybody to be able to do their job and accept their role wholeheartedly.

Means the world for Rich to be with us. Because it helps me. I'm from his class. It keeps us together, keeps our chemistry going. It's definitely huge, it's definitely a huge sacrifice he gave for us.

Q. You're a six-year senior. This team has a lot of older guys. We're seeing now all over college football five- and six- and seventh-year players in some instances. Speak to the advantages that that gives you guys having been in the college game now for four and five and six years.

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think it's give and take. I think the advantage, you get to have your degree and you can get to work on your master's like that second-level football. Two, obviously, you get to like build connections in terms of like with alumni and whatnot. And from a football perspective, you're just older, you're bigger, and you're more mature. You can be a better leader in terms of that.

The knock-off from that, college football has definitely evolved throughout my six years to where the things I knew in 2019 are completely unapplicable now. So you always have to really approve.

Like the biggest play in 2019 that was like terrorizing everybody was probably split zone. Split zone means nothing today. You always have to evolve. You always have to grow and be aware that the times are changing.

But for me six years I was able to do a lot of things in terms of getting my body right. Really learn the game. Learn the game after football. So you're definitely a lot more prepared, not just like to lead this team but to be ready for whatever comes ahead.

Q. Are you working on a master's degree?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Just finished my pre-med reqs.

Q. Is there any part of you as a college football player or fan, when you see a 24-, 25-year-old guy sometimes playing against a 19-year-old, like that looks a little weird?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: When I was young I would always be, like, how do you -- declare. Go to the league and get out of here. That was in my head.

But obviously like I understand that things happen. Like, obviously six years, a lot had to happen for me to get here. But at the end of the day I wouldn't have it any other way. That's people's journeys. That's people's past. You shouldn't knock them for how long they've been in or out.

Sometimes that's how the ball rolls. I'm sure if they wanted to they would win three national championships and get out immediately but sometimes that's not the case.

Q. I asked Michael this, because of the COVID thing, that extended a lot of careers -- do you ever feel like the old guy in the room?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh.

Q. Like how?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's to the point where I'm getting invited to my own coach's staff meetings.

Q. How old are you now?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I'm turning 24 in two weeks.

Q. You said things have evolved a lot. You can all make money now. Is that a better thing for the players?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I get to pay taxes now. So I'm very excited about that. No. I mean, there's definitely with NIL you're given a lot more opportunities. But for me mentally, I've always wanted to make my brand like my NIL. So I was always invested in like community.

Like things I've done with the Make a Wish Foundation, with 4C Coalition, to be able to talk to kids and raise money for certain diseases. That's what I'm all about and that's what I've been able to do. It helps me in my post-football career as well. That's why I put my heads towards that.

Q. So your next level, you're going to be a doctor, you're pre-med?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Want to work in pediatrics after football. That's kind of the plan.

Q. Several walk-ons play a prominent role on this team. What's it about this culture that allowed you to funnel through and find a role?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I wouldn't have been here without the works of Ryan Bowman and Myles Bryant, two walk-ons that really get a lot of playing time. I don't know what it was, but when I came here I thought the University of Washington, they didn't really care about stars, they just cared about performance and winning.

It was very important for me to go to a program that developed players and made sure that not only are you going to be a great football player but you're going to be a great man.

I think I will be able to accomplish both those things. When I came here I was able to learn my skills, hone into my talents and maximize myself as a player. I was still a walk-on, but I really definitely never felt like a walk-on in terms of just like the culture of the team. And that meant a lot to me.

Q. You mentioned this is a program that doesn't really care about stars. Is that ingrained in the mentality? How would you say that manifests?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's just about finding the right guys. I think it starts with the OKGs, from Pete's era. It's always about finding the right people who are going to be always about trying to win, doing the right things and being disciplined. Like obviously they're going to be if an OKG is a five star -- they're going to give OKG five star. Sometimes it's not the case it's about finding the right fits for the team and obviously once you get there you've still got to prove yourself. You've still got to develop as well. Just being able to have a staff that really focuses and hones in on developing, educating is super huge to the success of a program.

Q. What you're saying you would take J.J. McMillan most days?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Oh, yes, eight days a week.

Q. In that vein, this is such an experienced roster. I think everybody that starts is a fourth-year player or older. What's allowed you to all stay together, in this era especially?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: In this era, it's just the belief in each other and just having a staff that really hones in and like really believes in each other. I think it's super important for a coaching staff to really all like each other, not just on paper, but they hang out a lot. They're always in the stadium. They're always working and they're always focusing on winning.

I think just having a program like that, that's always focused on winning allows us to get buy in more from players and for us to be together the whole time and us having camaraderie and loving and appreciating each other allows us to stay together because we wouldn't want to be with anybody else.

Q. This time last year, what would you say, 10 players could have the option to stay or go to the draft?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's crazy thinking about it but it's been great. It's definitely been a testament to our belief in ourselves and our belief we could get here at this point.

Q. Wondering what you remember at that time. Do you look down at the phone and see a text that people are coming back, what's that like?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I was trying to figure out if I was coming back or not.

Q. Was it a massive group text with the guys thinking about leaving?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: No, honestly, it happened randomly. I decided to come back. Then two days later Bralen and John had a group post and then Rome decides to come back. No discussion. We just all -- we were all thinking at the same time, you know what I mean?

Q. Organic but silent?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Organic but silent.

Q. I spoke with one of your old coaches. I'm not going to say who it is. We'll see if you figure it out. But he said that you used to try and always beat him in the building in the mornings and you always were trying to be the first guy in there. But I wanted to ask you, is that kind of your mentality that you take on the season, the team and football in general and how does that fall into your play, being the first guy?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It kind of just started in fall camp as a walk-on. It's hard to get reps as a walk-on. Especially when you're young. So for me, I just needed to visually learn and I needed to find ways to get better.

There's so much basically allocated time towards that that the only time I had that was free time that was working and developing was early in the morning.

It really started off with me just trying to improve myself and eventually it came a time where I had to come in earlier and the coaches were, like, what are you doing here so early? That's how it developed into it.

Q. Do you think that's served you well throughout your career now?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Absolutely. The early bird gets the worm. I think Coach Pete gave me a book called "The Slight Edge." Basically one of the main disciplines of the book was just, like, want to keep churning or eventually like that, little pot of whatever it is will turn to butter and stiffen up.

It's basically just stacking. Keep getting better. Little by little by little. And like eventually what I was able to produce was like a pretty solid career for myself. So I definitely give a lot of credit to Coach Pete and that book and definitely just like the consistent work I was able to put out.

Q. Would you give that advice to other walk-ons?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: 100 percent.

Q. Be that guy in the building?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Be the first guy in the building and always get better. You have to want to get better by yourself. Even though you're not going to get the praise and the roses and stuff, it's always about like your progression that you've got to really be satisfied about how you're growing. That's all it's about.

Q. It was Junior Adams, if you want to give a shout out.

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Super hard to beat. Always super hard to beat. But I got him a couple times. But he works his tail off. Shout out to Junior.

Q. Is it weird that thinking you're going to play the last game in Pac-12 football history?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It is. It's super weird because it's so un -- it doesn't even feel real. We're not dismantling as a university, we're just going to the Big Ten. So it's kind of sad just because it's going to make a lot of traveling harder for a lot of families. But Pac-12 has a lot of rich traditions and it's a special place. It means the world to me. I love the Pac-12. I absolutely would have my kids play in the Pac-12 if it still existed.

It's a good way to send them out strong. Very happy that in the last year that Pac-12 team were able to get back to this point. So wouldn't have it any other way.

Q. What in particular did you love about playing in the Pac?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: The rivalries. Even though we had Wazzu, but I loved the Oregon State/Oregon rivalry or Arizona/Arizona State rivalry, or UCLA/USC had their thing. And we played them. And certain history and historical moments between those teams, between certain teams and the Pac-12 made it special.

And when we went to go play teams in the SEC or Big Ten, we're always rooting for each other. When Oregon beat Ohio State, I wasn't an Oregon hater that day. It's just going to be a little different.

Q. Obviously three of those schools are coming with you to the Big Ten, but would it almost feel different when you play them because you're not in the Pac, or do you think it will feel like the old rivalry?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: I think those rivalries will be the same but it's going to be different because we're all going to be in the same pot and it's going to be definitely a different atmosphere, a different feeling, and just it just won't be the same. It definitely won't be the same.

Q. Are you like kind of staring at your future a little bit here with all the Big Ten logos?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: It's kind of funny. It's kind of funny based off of the two teams that are playing this game are going to be in the same conference. I think it's kind of unique that's the case.

Q. A lot of programs, talking about NIL around the country have gone the direction of like maybe paying a lot of money for a high school kid up front, things like that, and that kid comes in the locker room and everyone knows that kid got money. You guys haven't done that from what I understand as far as like high school kids getting a big piece of the pie. Do you think that's helped your locker room stay tight in this NIL time?

EDEFUAN ULOFOSHIO: Yeah, I mean, first of all, I don't think it should be (indiscernible) people's pockets. That's the first problem how you get a lot of turmoil in the locker room.

But at the end of the day, it's just like you need -- like programs need players to win games. So when you're getting the best players, I can't knock a program for paying a player XYZ when you already have players, because you're always trying to be relevant and trying to improve. It's definitely a difficult question. It's part of the business. I'm happy that I don't have that responsibility to give that job out.

But I'm not going to knock another kid for getting paid more than what I'm getting paid. I'm knocking him if he's not working as hard as me or if he's not contributing, but it doesn't have anything to do with how much money he's getting because he has needs as well as I do. Can't knock it.