Sixth-year seniors Devin Culp, Jack Westover bring lifelong bond to Husky offense

Devin Culp and Jack Westover see their relationship as “yin and yang.”

The pair has formed a lifelong bond by competing against and working together for over a decade. Despite their different personalities, the two complement each other perfectly on and off the field.

Both are redshirt sixth-year seniors and have played tight end alongside each other at Washington since they arrived on campus in 2018. But their relationship dates back to fifth grade when the two played AAU boys basketball against each other.

“We grew up competing against each other,” Westover said. “It’s been one of the more supportive relationships I’ve encountered and have been a part of. We’ve supported each other so much.”

Since that first summer at UW, Culp added that the two have played under three full-time head coaches, which can be difficult for players to adjust and fit into multiple offensive game plans.

“Ever since we got here that summer we’ve just continuously found a way to vibe off each other and bounce off one another,” Culp said. “It’s kind of that mindset of if you want to outwork the man next to you but you want to uplift the man next to you, and I feel me and Jack do the perfect job of complementary roles to each other.”

Culp, a Gonzaga Prep graduate, had 29 receptions for 266 yards with a touchdown in 2022 and is looking to improve from last year in an offense that he feels is an honor to play in.

“Every day just trying to stack as many good days as I can as possible in a row,” Culp said. “Continuing to ramp up my physicality, recognition and urgency. Just doing my job to the best of my abilities,”

The 6-foot-4, 237-pound redshirt senior feels blocking has seen the biggest improvement from this offseason.

“Overall physicality at the line of scrimmage trying to displace guys,” Culp said. “Show that I can dominate at the line of scrimmage and then just being a dominant pass catcher as well. … Just trying to show everybody that I’m that big playmaker that everybody knows and thinks of me as.”

Westover, who is from Bellevue, had 31 receptions for 342 yards and one touchdown in 2022. He said that this year is the greatest he’s felt during his time in Seattle.

“This is the best I’ve felt in my career,” the 6-foot-3, 248-pound Westover said. “The strongest, the fastest and mentally sharpest I’ve been.”

Despite Culp and Westover being in the program for six years, tight ends coach Nick Sheridan says it’s their second year in Kalen DeBoer’s system. This means small details and confidence needs to be installed, which Sheridan doesn’t see much of an issue with.

“Even though we have new plays and new wrinkles this year, there’s still carry-over,” Sheridan said. “So they’re doing a great job with that. Playing more confidently and a little quicker.”

Culp and Westover both played the most snaps in their Husky career last season. Having that experience going into Week 1 will certainly benefit them and the Huskies, Sheridan said.

“Any coach will tell you that experience matters,” he said. “Those snaps were invaluable. The moments and the situations that they were in, we’re certainly expecting that to serve them well this fall.”

With Culp and Westover being the top two tight ends on the depth chart and having Josh Cuevas and Quentin Moore a little banged up, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb knows Culp’s and Westover’s duties will be predominant going into the season.

“They’re super important, unfortunately, they’re a little bit tired,” Grubb said. “Keeping them healthy and moving forward is huge. They’re pivotal players and anchors in the offense.”

Grubb said the Huskies lost some “glue guys” last year with the departure of Corey Luciano and Wayne Taulapapa, to name a few. But having veterans like Culp and Westover puts an advantage over other teams that don’t have players who can connect a team as well as the two do.

“Those guys are special,” Grubb said. “They’re glue guys, that’s how I look at it. … So when I look at Dev and West they bring everyone together and get them on the same page.

“I think there’s a lot of really talented teams that don’t know how to execute and ultimately be an elite football team because they don’t know how to relate to each other, so our older guys recognize that.”

Washington ranked second behind USC in the Pac-12 in total yards in 2022, and first in passing, which players and staff highlighted the help this tight end squad contributed to that.

“They mean a lot,” quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. “They do a great job receiving and blocking, and just making sure they know their assignments. … Those guys work extremely hard, they push each other to be great every day.”