As UW Defense Shows Improvement, Walters Gets Raise

Midway through his Wednesday new conference regarding the transfer portal, University of Washington coach Jedd Fisch was asked about Ryan Walters and how hard was it to retain the defensive coordinator?

Fisch looked a little smug as he went through what amounted to a Golden Globes or Emmys acceptance speech.

"I appreciate our donors and I appreciate our administration in making it happen," he said.

Indeed, Walters, the Husky defensive mastermind and the former Purdue head coach, will receive a salary increase to $2 million per year through January 31, 2028, a bump from $1.5 million, according to the agreement that was provided by the athletic department.

Walters will receive an annual base salary of $445,000 with other yearly compensation totaling $1,550,000 that would involve such duties as attending public, private and community events and meeting with the media on behalf of the UW.

"We've got a lot of people that are out there looking trying to get the best," Fisch said. "I told you last year I thought he was one of the best. I said he was the best in the country. I'll double down on that. The jumps we made on defense were pretty significant."

Under Walters direction, the Huskies went from a porous defense before his arrival to one in 2025 that finished 12th nationally in rushing defense at 100.1 yards per game and 15th in scoring defense at 18.69 points per game.

Walters, who replaced Steve Belichick after getting let go at Purdue, proved to be far more of a hands-on coach in directing the Huskies' defensive fortunes.

While Belichick sort of coached from a distance, usually watching things unfold while standing alone several yards behind his defense, Walters often was in the middle of the action, sternly asking for a better effort from his players up close.

It was sort of an oxymoron that Walters could be discarded after two seasons as the Purdue head coach, considered a failure in handling that position, while he seemingly can do no wrong while putting together and guiding a defense.

Ryan Walters meets with the media in Seattle for the first time in 2025. | Dan Raley

With his pay raise, Walters will enter the 2026 season with a defense built around his linebackers, a group that compares favorably with the best around the country, led by Jacob Manu, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Xe'ree Alexander and Buddah Al-Uqdah.

And typical of the defensive genius being applied, Fisch said the Huskies will be more than willing to get as many of those linebackers on the field at the same time by using position creativity.

An example would be the Huskies' willingness to turn the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Alexander into an edge rusher on occasion rather than just feel compelled to have Rainey-Sale and Alexander simply alternate at one linebacker spot.

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