UW Roster Countdown: On The Gridiron or Wrestling Mat, Khan Gets Opponents Down

omar-khan

As Omar Khan walked into the tunnel after Washington defeated Utah 35-28 last November the two-sport high school athlete was hard to miss.

At 6-foot-3, 296-pounds, the Texas native, a standout defensive lineman and undefeated wrestler for Bridgeland High School, is the only one of four DL signees to stick with the Huskies to play for first-year coach Jedd Fisch who originally committed to former coach Kalen DeBoer.

Khan placed third in the Class 6A 285-pound weight class at the Texas state tournament on Feb. 17, a mammoth difference from not even making it on the podium at regionals as a junior.

In a continuing series counting down the UW football roster from 99 to 0 as the program embarks on its first season in the Big Ten Conference, we take a look at Khan, who will wear No. 98 for the Huskies as a freshman.

Even though he only started wrestling as a freshman, seemingly in a way to cross-train for football, Khan made it clear in an interview with the Houston Chronicle that he's driven to get better.

"I saw how athletic I was and I was only scoring off of one move," Khan told the newspaper on the improvement he made from his junior to senior year in wrestling.

It also helped him immensely on the football field for Bridgeland in 2023.

Khan recorded 29 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks as a senior, obliterating the numbers he put up the previous season.

"Putting in the hours in the weight room and the wrestling room, getting the technique down and really understanding positions, it really made me a lot better."

With multiple starters departing the UW football program after the run to the 2024 National Championship game, a new coaching staff coming in with defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi, and only a handful of players coming returning with game experience at the Power 4 level, there is a chance Khan could push for more than just the allowed four games as a freshman this fall.

Whether the Cypress, Tex., native is able to beat out the likes of Armon Parker, Elinneus Davis, Bryce Butler and others competing for playing time at defensive tackle behind the starters, there is no doubt that Khan will be a player to watch develop over the next few years as a Husky.