Buddah Al-Uqdah: Transferring from WSU to UW ‘just felt like home’

SEATTLE – Taariq Al-Uqdah received his first scholarship offer on March 6, 2020. It came from Washington.

Al-Uqdah – called “Buddah” by most – was on an unofficial visit to UW when the Huskies, then led by former coach Jimmy Lake, extended him a potential spot at Washington. Reminiscing more than five years later, Al-Uqdah called it a surreal moment and said the Huskies quickly jumped to the top of his list.

UW, however, didn’t quite feel the same way. Lake was fired before the 2021 season concluded and linebackers coach Bob Gregory, Al-Uqdah’s primary contact with the Huskies, also departed. Incoming coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff were less interested, so the Southern Californian signed with Washington State.

Now, after three seasons with the Cougars, Al-Uqdah is finally wearing purple and gold.

“It really just felt like home, you know?” Al-Uqdah said Saturday. “I knew it was one of the biggest stages, if not the biggest stage, being here and I just love the setting.”

Washington completed its fourth spring practice on a rainy Tuesday afternoon at the Dempsey Indoor Arena, the Huskies’ second in full pads. Few players have impressed early like Al-Uqdah, who transferred to UW during the winter portal window and has quickly stepped into the heart of Washington’s defense under new coordinator Ryan Walters.

Al-Uqdah has interceptions during 11-on-11 periods through four practices, while providing experience in a position group searching for contributors under new linebackers coach Brian Odom. Walters praised Al-Uqdah’s instinctual play, and said his experience at Washington State has been evident through the first several practices.

“He just has a natural feel for the game,” Walters said Saturday, “being able to find the football.”

Washington lost five linebackers from the 2024 season. Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala and Drew Fowler exhausted their eligibility. Bryun Parham and true freshman contributor Khmori House entered the transfer portal. Parham, who declared his intention to redshirt after playing four games, landed at Connecticut while House followed former UW defensive coordinator Steve Belichick to North Carolina.

Al-Uqdah, who made 116 tackles and four interceptions during his time at Washington State, was one of three linebackers UW signed out of the transfer portal, choosing Washington after taking visits to California and Kansas. The Huskies also added former Arizona captain Jacob Manu, a 2023 first-team All-Pac-12 selection, and UCF transfer Xe’ree Alexander, who starred at Kennedy Catholic High in Seattle.

UW also signed a pair of local blue-chip linebackers: Bethel High’s Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and Auburn Riverside High’s Jonathan Epperson Jr. Rainey-Sale was the highest-rated prospect in UW’s 2025 recruiting class and the top player in the state, according to the 247Sports composite ratings, while Epperson was also a composite four-star recruit and the No. 2 player in the state.

Injuries, however, have taken a toll on the group before the season started. Manu is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in October, and coach Jedd Fisch announced Rainey-Sale will miss most of the spring rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered at the end of his high school season.

Al-Uqdah has received a majority of the repetitions at linebacker with Rainey-Sale and Manu out, and has made an immediate impact. He intercepted junior quarterback Shea Kuykendall during the team’s first practice, then picked off sophomore Demond Williams Jr. during the second practice. Fisch said Al-Uqdah’s intensity and athleticism have been particularly impressive four practices into the spring.

“He’s done a great job of being an experienced football player,” Fisch said Tuesday.

The 6-foot, 232-pound linebacker said Walters’ defense allows him to play with more freedom. Al-Uqdah noted the Cougars’ 2024 defense emphasized strict gap management. Walters, in comparison, encourages linebackers to track the ball and follow the play.

“It’s not just robotic,” Al-Uqdah said.

The Washington State transfer is also working to become a better communicator, which he said is another key facet of playing linebacker in Walters’ defense. Al-Uqdah is one of the defensive players wearing the team’s sideline-to-helmet communication system this spring.

It’s a new experience for the South Central Los Angeles native, who said safeties or sometimes cornerbacks were the primary defensive play callers at Washington State. Al-Uqdah admitted it’s still an adjustment early in the spring.

“The first time coach Walters talked to me on it,” he said, “it kind of scared me because I wasn’t expecting it. But it’s funny. The other day he was cracking jokes in the com when he was talking to me on the field, so it’s cool.”

While Al-Uqdah is embracing new forms of communication, he’s also learning how to block out others. His decision to leave Pullman for Seattle, however, has been met with some expected backlash on social media. Al-Uqdah has seen the comments calling him a clown. A sellout. A snake.

Yet he’s not letting any comments made in the moment change his perception of the Palouse. Al-Uqdah reiterated how much he enjoyed his three years in Pullman several times and said many of his former teammates at Washington State understood that he felt this was the best step for his future.

“You’ve got some people that don’t like it and then you’ve got others that stick with you regardless,” he said. “Your real friends. Some of them didn’t like it, but my guys who I rock with were happy for me regardless.”