UW Huskies DL Siaosi Finau and RB Aaron Dumas enter transfer portal
The offseason’s second and final transfer portal window — when college football players can enter without sacrificing a season of eligibility — officially closed Sunday. But after a departing player files paperwork, it sometimes takes a day or two to officially enter the portal (or for that player’s name to become public).
Which is why, deadlines be damned, the news still hasn’t stopped.
UW defensive lineman Siaosi Finau and running back Aaron Dumas have entered the transfer portal, a source confirmed Tuesday.
Finau, a product of nearby Renton High School, failed to record a statistic in two seasons and three career games. And, from a recruiting perspective, his departure doesn’t register as a significant surprise. When he verbally committed to UW on June 29, 2020, Finau did so without a profile page or star rating from recruiting services Rivals or 247Sports.
The Huskies were also Finau’s lone scholarship offer … which former coach Jimmy Lake hailed as a win for Washington’s scouting department on signing day.
“It really was as simple as a phone call and a lot of research by our staff to watch the film and comb through the film,” Lake said. “We saw a player that we believe is going to be a big-time player for us and in the Pac-12 and against anybody in the country. He’s got traits, the size and measurables that you want. Wait till you guys see this young man in person. And then when you turn on the tape, you see a guy that has twitch, plays tough, plays physical.
“And again, you guys know me by now: It doesn’t matter if you’re -3 stars or -10 stars. When we turn on the tape and we do our own grading, this guy was at the top of the charts of our grades. And he’s going to be a big-time football player for UW.”
Two seasons later, he’s preparing to leave.
And that lack of production is also widespread across Washington’s 2021 class. Of the Huskies’ 17 high-school or junior-college signees, nine either never enrolled, retired or opted to transfer. The class’s standout appears to be junior defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi, who has 28 tackles and eight sacks in 24 career games. Cornerback Davon Banks, tight end Quentin Moore, “husky” nickel Dyson McCutcheon, edge Maurice Heims, safety Vince Nunley, offensive tackle RJ Wyrsch and wide receiver Jabez Tinae also return in 2023.
Dumas, meanwhile, arrived at UW last offseason after leading New Mexico with 658 rushing yards and 4.8 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2021. As such, the El Paso, Texas, product was expected to earn a role in Washington’s crowded running-back rotation.
It didn’t turn out that way.
A 5-foot-9, 199-pound sophomore, Dumas was passed on UW’s depth chart by returners Cameron Davis, Richard Newton and Sam Adams II, plus fellow transfers Wayne Taulapapa and Will Nixon, and didn’t appear in a game in 2022. Despite Taulapapa’s departure, three more newcomers — Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson, Arizona State transfer Daniyel Ngata and early enrollee freshman Tybo Rogers — are expected to compete for reps this fall.
Dumas was the odd man out.
“He’s trying hard to get those reps. There’s some guys who have kind of jumped in front of him a little bit,” UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb admitted in April. “But he’s doing a great job.”
When asked where the former Lobo most needs to improve, Grubb added: “Speed’s probably the biggest thing.”
Dumas’ exit makes sense from a roster standpoint, as UW would struggle to carry eight scholarship running backs into the season. The other seven — Davis, Johnson, Ngata, Newton, Nixon, Adams and Rogers — have either previously produced on the Power Five level or could conceivably earn a rotational role.
Finau and Dumas are the 14th and 15th Huskies to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining the following departees:
Player | Position | Destination
Cameron Williams | Safety | Georgia Southern
Kuao Peihopa | Defensive line | Hawaii
Zakhari Spears | Cornerback | UConn
Lonyatta Alexander Jr. | Wide receiver | Montana State
Caden Jumper | Tight end | Murray State
Daniel Heimuli | Linebacker | Arizona
Victor Curne | Offensive line | Ole Miss
Jay’Veon Sunday | Running back | Abilene Christian
Sam Huard | Quarterback | Cal Poly
Sav’ell Smalls | Edge | Colorado
Demario King | Linebacker | Undecided
Taj Davis | Wide receiver | Undecided
Myles Murao | Offensive line | Undecided
None of the 15 now-former Huskies were expected starters.
Washington also added seven transfers this winter: running backs Dillon Johnson (Mississippi State) and Daniyel Ngata (Arizona State), tight end Josh Cuevas (Cal Poly), linebacker Ralen Goforth (USC), edge Zach Durfee (Sioux Falls), wide receiver Germie Bernard (Michigan State) and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad (Oklahoma State).
The Finau and Dumas departures leave UW with 81 projected scholarship players entering the summer, four under the 85-man limit. Which means, should they choose, the Huskies have roster flexibility to further improve via the portal.
The door to the transfer portal works both ways.
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