When DJ Beavers was growing up, he watched football as if he knew it would be part of his future.
“Ever since I was in pop warner,” the redshirt freshman said. “You always watch college football on Saturdays and even the pros. You strive to be like them, because they’re playing on a national level, on TV.”
As he got older, he refined the way he watched the game. And then the linebacker was introduced to former San Francisco standout Patrick Willis.
Beavers was captivated by the linebacker’s demeanor and the way he played the game.
“He was tough and physical, just a monster,” Beavers said.
And now, years later as a starting linebacker for fourth-ranked Washington, Beavers is doing his best to play with the same passion and intensity Willis brought to the game.
“I strived to play like him, tough, physical,” he said.
And, so far, well, “I’m trying to do my best reenactment of it,” Beavers said with a laugh.
In 11 games so far, Beavers has piled up 35 tackles. He has picked off a pass and forced and recovered a fumble. Since junior leader Azeem Victor went out with an injury during the USC game, Beavers has been a more than capable fill in.
“He’s just coming into his own,” junior Keishawn Bierria said. “He’s playing great. Even before the season we were talking to guys about stepping up and filling roles, so I’ve been seeing DJ playing at an exceptional level since camp. I’m really proud of him. He’s just been doing his job, doing it well, playing fast.”
And, when the Huskies play Alabama in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta, Beavers’ dream season will continue against the nation’s top-ranked program.
“It’s been cool,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t starting and now I have the chance to start for the Washington Huskies. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid, becoming a college football player. It’s been great.”
As well as Beavers has played he said filling his role has been aided by the brotherhood that has been created among Washington’s linebackers.
“We love each other, man,” he said. “You’ve just got to love your brother up. The inside linebackers, we’re all really close. Whenever we talk, there’s a lot of love going to each other.”
That close connection is a common theme throughout the team.
“The whole team is really close,” he said. “There’s no bad energy anywhere in the locker room. We all love each other. We all want to go out and fight for each other each time we have a game.”
And, for this group of Huskies, the next game is just a few weeks away in their matchup with the Crimson Tide.
“It feels great, but there’s still more to be done,” he said. “We’re not satisfied. As good a feeling as we’ve had the past couple of weeks, we still want to go win our next games.”
Beavers: 'Everyone Had A Part In This Success'
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