As Fall Camp Begins, Here's 22 Husky Starters For the Opener

Jedd Fisch's University of Washington football coaching staff has less than 30 days to figure out who goes where this season in the Husky starting lineup.

We took about 30 minutes, after watching 14 of 15 spring practices made available to outsiders, and came up with 22 names for the season-opening Apple Cup against Washington State on Sept. 6.

With fall camp opening on Thursday morning, this little exercise was made fairly simple because the UW returns so many different starters that make it a veteran team.

It's fairly cut and dried, but feel free to disagree.

OFFENSE

Tight end -- Decker DeGraaf. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound junior brings 16 career starts with 47 receptions for 593 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Left tackle -- Kodi Greene. A 6-foot-6, 325-pound true freshman and 5-star recruit, he was the starter from day one in spring practice. He comes ready to play.

Left guard -- John Mills. An 11-game starter at left guard and right tackle in his first season of college football, the 6-foot-6 and now 325-pound sophomore might be the best player on this team.

John Mills (72) has a fearsome physique at 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds. | Dave Sizer photo

Center -- Landen Hatchett. Coming off a broken wrist that ended his 2025 season early, this 6-foot-3, 315-pound Hatchett should be ready to add onto his 15 career starts over the past two years.

Right guard -- Champ Taulealea. Seventh-year senior Geirean Hatchett is a returning 13-game starter here coming off a spring injury, but the mammth 6-foot-5, 345-pound redshirt freshman Taulealea is too big and talented to move out of there now.

Right tackle -- Drew Azzopardi. People are already discussing the 6-foot-7, 330-pound Azzopardi, a 30-game starter in his career, as maybe a second-day NFL draft pick.

Wide receiver -- Dezmen Roebuck. A 10-game starter as a freshman, he comes off a 42-catch, 560-yard and 7-TD season. He should improve on all of those numbers.

Wide receiver -- Rashid Williams. In spring, he looked like the Huskies' No. 1 receiver. After starting two games and going down with a pair of injuries in 2025, he looks ready to play a full schedule.

Rashid Williams hauls in a 43-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. | Dave Sizer photo

Wide receiver -- Chris Lawson. Injuries have slowed his progress, limiting him to 8 games and 10 receptions as a true freshman, but he's too talented to sit on the bench.

Quarterback -- Demond Williams Jr. Coming off 15 consecutive starts, he's gotten better and not any slower. With a veteran line, he should have a big season.

Running back -- Quaid Carr. This sleek and fast redshirt freshman came out of spring looking ready to carry a big rushing load, this after playing in just two games with four carries in 2025.

Quaid Carr eludes the tackle of linebacker Donovan Robinson. | Dave Sizer photo

DEFENSE

Edge rusher -- Jacob Lane. This 6-foot-5, 265-pound senior likely will wrap up his career in four seasons, coming ready to play as a freshman, though he has the optoin to play a fifth season. He has 13 starts to his name.

Defensive tackle -- Elinneus Davis. A 6-foot-3, 320-pound junior, he's made himself better every year. He was a 10-game starter in 2025. He's headed to an NFL career.

Defensive tackle -- Derek Colman-Brusa. Same as Kodi Greene on offense, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Colman-Brusa was handed the keys to his position from the outset as a true freshman. He's going to be good.

Edge rusher -- Isaiah Ward. A 19-game starter at the UW and Arizona, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior is looking for a big season, but he'll have to hold off one-time Arizona teammate Russell Davis II and freshman Ramzak Fruean to keep his job.

Linebacker --Jacb Manu. This fifth-year senior linebacker with 32 starts at the UW and Arizona might be the Huskies' second-best player behind Mills and the best defensive player.

Xe'ree Alexander plays linebacker with a lot of confidence. | Dave Sizer phot

Linebacker -- Xe'ree Alexander. An 18-game starter at Idaho, UCF and the UW, this guy has been on a tear since the latter half of last season, topped by earning LA Bowl Defensive MVP honors. He still has to beat out the gifted Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.

Cornerback -- Dylan Robinson. A five-game starter as a freshman, he keeps hearing his coaches call him an eventual first-round NFL draft pick.

Cornerback -- Manny Karnley. The most important portal pick-up for the UW and the only one in the opening lineup, he brings 16 starts with him from Arizona and Virginia, and a physical style as a coverage guy.

Safety -- Alex McLaughlin. This 2025 All-Big 10 honorable-mention selection brings a team-high 36 starts to the Huskies, counting his time at Northern Arizona, plus big-play potential that saw him score twice on defense.

Safety -- Rylon Dillard-Allen. A three-game starter as a true freshman, he's one of the more physical and confident players on the UW defense and he has the best nickname, "Batman."

Nickelback -- Rahshawn Clark. A five-game starter as a redshirt freshman in 2025, he comes off shoulder surgery to reclaim this job.

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