Huskies Offer Glimpse of 3-Headed Linebacker Lineup

With a half hour to go in the University of Washington's first spring football practice, the coaching staff released what amounted to a movie trailer.

They lined up Jacob Manu, Xe'ree Alexander and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale together at linebacker, in that order, from left to right, for the first time.

Three proven, veteran head-hunters, coming to a theater near you.

It was just a one-play personnel reveal on Tuesday, but it most assuredly won't be the last occasion for the Huskies to put their three-headed linebacker rotation on the field to terrorize people.

"The most important thing we can do is play our best 11 players," UW coach Jedd Fisch said.

If only Manu had a first name that began with a Y, than the Huskies could really market this group of second-row players.

Something along the lines of X, Y and Z, ready to connect with you.

For that lone snap, the three of them together looked overly aggressive, each hungrily leaning forward before the ball was snapped, as if they were going to race each other to the football.

"It's probably my first time being in a room like this," Manu said. "But I love it. We're all competitive."

These are two Northwest guys and another from the Los Angeles area. Their football credentials are impeccable.

Xe'ree Alexander turned in an MVP performance at the LA Bowl. | Dave Sizer photo

The 5-foot-9, 220-pound Manu from Santa Ana, California, led the Pac-12 in tackles with 116 in 2023 and was a first-team all-conference pick.

Alexander, who goes 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds and hails from Auburn, Washinigton, was the LA Bowl Defensive Player of the Game.

Rainey-Sale from Tacoma started multiple games as a freshman last season after getting medical clearance from a knee injury and resembled an elite player with his 6-foot-2, 216-pound size and notable speed.

To leave one on the sideline doesn't seem right -- so the Huskies are threatening to use all three at the same time to make opponents greatly uncomfortable.

"There's plenty of opportunities for us to play with three backers on the field or find ways to rotate those guys through," Fisch said.

Zaydrius Rainey-Sale looks to the sideline during the 2025 Rutgers game. | Dave Sizer photo

On Tuesday, Rainey-Sale was ever so graceful with his rangy frame as he effortlessly changed directions in drills, letting out what sounded more like a groan than a grunt as he gave maximum effort.

Alexander, with his long flowing hair sticking out of the back of his helmet, just acts fearless at all times, as if he's ready to throw his body at anyone at any moment.

Except at the midway point of Tuesday's practice, when Alexander suddenly turned into a coach on the spot trying over and over again to get freshman edge rusher Ramzak Fruean to line up in the correct spot.

Then there was Manu, playing a fifth and final college football season, which prompted a coach to greet him at the outset with the following, "Your first last practice, boy."

Manu is so tough he shared how he spent 14 hours in multiple sessions this offseason getting his arm tattooed. Yes, it was painful.

Once that Tuesday practice concluded, the Huskies sent two of their most prominent players -- quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and Manu -- as team spokesmen to deal with the media.

Those linebackers are turning up everywhere.