Husky Edge Rusher Hopes To Go Down Memory Lane As Senior

As the University of Washington football coaching staff meticulously puts together a defense that could decide outcomes rather than make the offense to do it, a few players have emerged as pillars on that side of the ball.

Linebacker Jacob Manu, overlooked by many outside of the UW because of a knee injury that has prevented him from playing a full season since 2023, is back to full health and defensive capabilities, and could surprise a lot of people across the Big Ten.

Likewise, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, a nine-game starter in 2025, is extra athletic for a big man and underrated as a playmaker coming out of a stance while approaching his junior year.

At strong safety, senior Alex McLaughlin made a seamless transition from a first-team All-Big Sky selection to an All-Big Ten honorable-mention choice last year, scoring twice on defense for the Huskies.

And there's one more -- edge rusher Jacob Lane. He's been around Montlake longer than any of the others. He's looking to be far more disruptive as a senior rather than merely a sturdy presence.

Jacob Lane is a senior for the Huskies and a returning starter. | Dave Sizer photo

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.

Short of being super human as a player, such as becoming the immediate freshman starter that offensive guard John Mills did, the 6-foot-5, 256-pound Lane and his career progression is what the Husky coaches want from most of their players.

Lane played in the final nine games as a freshman for the UW's 14-1 and national runner-up team.

As a sophomore, he appeared in a dozen more games as a reserve by regularly rotating in and out.

Last season, Lane became a 13-game starter and shared the team lead in sacks with 4, matching departed edge rusher Zach Durfee. One of Lane's sacks brought down Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.

Jacob Lane drops into a stance in the Spring Game. | Dave Sizer phot

Lane, who's a homegrown player from Puyallup, Washington, suggested that more backfield invasions from him would be the best way to cap off his career.

"I feel I want to maybe get a few more sacks this year and contribute more to the team," he said in April.

Lane ran with the No. 1 defense throughout spring ball, teaming up front with the aforementioned Davis and freshman Derek Colman-Brusa at the tackles and opposite fellow senior Isaiah Ward at the other edge spot.

While Ward shared his outside spot at times with sophomore Devin Hyde, Ohio State transfer Logan George and even freshman Ramzak Fruean, Lane largely was immovable on the other side.

Early on in spring ball, he broke through to drop redshirt freshmen running backs Ryken Moon and Quaid Carr for 1- and 2-yard losses, respectively.

Jacob Lane will start for a second consecutive season as a Husky edge rusher. | Dave Sizer photo

Otherwise, he got his work in, rarely was out of position and felt encouraged by the direction his UW defense was taking.

"This is probably the most physical group I've been a part of," Lane said.

What he's done: If all goes as expected, Lane will be that four-year player who needed just a handful of games to convince the coaching staff to initially play him, spent another season as a sub and is a starter for two seasons. It's the perfect blueprint for a UW career for anyone. He has 54 tackles so far, including 10 tackles for loss and those 4 sacks.

Starter or not: Having played in 34 Husky games, and starting all 13 in 2025, Lane is a veteran defender who likely will carry heavy responsibility into the coming season for a defense that will be, like he said, a step up in Montlake.

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