Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah announced on Thursday that he is transferring to the University of Washington with two years of eligibility remaining. He was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2024.

The sophomore linebacker forced three fumbles, recovered four fumbles, snagged three interceptions and scored a touchdown. He was a turnover machine and helped the Cougars defense create big plays when they needed it most. He finished the season with 51 tackles and 25 assists. However, he was also among the leaders in missed tackles, at one point leading the nation in missed tackles.

On Dec 18, Al-Uqdah announced via his X account that he was officially entering the portal, but Coug fans were shocked when he wound up committing to the rival Huskies.

Some fans took to social media to offer their disappoint in Al-Uqdah’s decision. Buddah responded by sharing a pair of messages.

His first message read “as fans you feel how u wanna feel about it but it ain’t about y’all.”

The second message read “they love you till they don’t.”

The posts indicated that Al-Uqdah has been seeing the negativity from Coug fans online announcing they would no longer be rooting for him.

For fans, it is always difficult to see a favorite player go to a rival school, but that is the nature of college football. Fans are not required to keep rooting for Al-Uqdah, but sharing their anger on social media only creates more stress and pressure for the 21-year old. It is important to remember that athletes are human beings too, and Al-Uqdah’s made the decision that he felt was best for him.

Al-Uqdah will return to Pullman next September for the Apple Cup, and it is yet to be seen how fans will receive his homecoming.