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Washington starts fall camp next week with a litany of questions up and down the depth chart yet to be answered before their September 6 Apple Cup showdown with Washington State.
Huskies fans saw Alex McLaughlin, Rylon Dillard-Allen, and Dylan Robinson break out as stars in 2025 under coordinator Ryan Walters' tutelage. Who could take the next step on the defensive side of the ball this fall to further improve a unit that ranked 15th in the country in scoring defense a year ago?
Davis started 10 games last season and was a solid contributor, but he looked like he had taken his game to another level this spring heading into his fourth season on Montlake. Washington's offensive line has improved dramatically since head coach Jedd Fisch arrived in 2024, so it's not like Davis has been beating up on one of the worst lines in the conference, either. With a new-look room around him - only Omar Khan remains alongside Davis from the 2025 position group - Davis stepping up as a potential All-Big Ten level player would be a tremendous help for the Huskies in their continued quest to bolster the trenches against their new conference foes.
Ask anybody around the program this offseason who they're most excited about heading into the 2026 season, and one of the first names you'll hear is Devin Hyde. A key special teams contributor as a freshman last year, Hyde will probably still not be a designated starter this season with seniors Jacob Lane and Isaiah Ward entrenched as run defenders. But Washington played Lane, Ward, and now-Jacksonville Jaguar Zach Durfee plenty last season, so there's room to carve out a large role alongside his older peers. Hyde's explosive power off the ball and ability to reduce inside on passing downs will give him some added versatility to get on the field often this year.
Despite this being Wright's third season on Montlake, this spring was virtually the first time the Huskies have seen him healthy. He took advantage of that opportunity by taking first-team reps next to McLaughlin with Dillard-Allen in and out of the lineup and looked plenty comfortable running Walters' defense. Washington employs three safety sets often - that's how Dillard-Allen got on the field so much last year in the first place - but Wright will have to contend with his 2024 classmate Paul Mencke Jr., who had an emphatic spring and could have easily been on this list as well. Playing time for both may be available after CJ Christian tore his Achilles this spring.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: 3 Washington football defensive players who could break out this fall
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Huskies fans saw Alex McLaughlin, Rylon Dillard-Allen, and Dylan Robinson break out as stars in 2025 under coordinator Ryan Walters' tutelage. Who could take the next step on the defensive side of the ball this fall to further improve a unit that ranked 15th in the country in scoring defense a year ago?
DT Elinneus Davis
️ Davis started 10 games last season and was a solid contributor, but he looked like he had taken his game to another level this spring heading into his fourth season on Montlake. Washington's offensive line has improved dramatically since head coach Jedd Fisch arrived in 2024, so it's not like Davis has been beating up on one of the worst lines in the conference, either. With a new-look room around him - only Omar Khan remains alongside Davis from the 2025 position group - Davis stepping up as a potential All-Big Ten level player would be a tremendous help for the Huskies in their continued quest to bolster the trenches against their new conference foes.
OLB Devin Hyde
Ask anybody around the program this offseason who they're most excited about heading into the 2026 season, and one of the first names you'll hear is Devin Hyde. A key special teams contributor as a freshman last year, Hyde will probably still not be a designated starter this season with seniors Jacob Lane and Isaiah Ward entrenched as run defenders. But Washington played Lane, Ward, and now-Jacksonville Jaguar Zach Durfee plenty last season, so there's room to carve out a large role alongside his older peers. Hyde's explosive power off the ball and ability to reduce inside on passing downs will give him some added versatility to get on the field often this year.
S Rahim Wright II
Despite this being Wright's third season on Montlake, this spring was virtually the first time the Huskies have seen him healthy. He took advantage of that opportunity by taking first-team reps next to McLaughlin with Dillard-Allen in and out of the lineup and looked plenty comfortable running Walters' defense. Washington employs three safety sets often - that's how Dillard-Allen got on the field so much last year in the first place - but Wright will have to contend with his 2024 classmate Paul Mencke Jr., who had an emphatic spring and could have easily been on this list as well. Playing time for both may be available after CJ Christian tore his Achilles this spring.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: 3 Washington football defensive players who could break out this fall
Continue reading...
