Husky Roster Review: UW Pulls On Prysock, Who Has Leg Up on CB Competition

One reason the University of Washington football team played for a national championship last season was its cornerback stability, with the Huskies relying on a pair of 15-game starters in Jabbar Muhammad and Elijah Jackson and no one else.

The year before, five players rotated in and out as the UW first-teamers at corner, changing practically every week because of injury, inexperience or getting beat over the top.

While Muhammad had another college year available, he chose to transfer to Oregon and use it with the Ducks rather than return to Montlake and deal with a new Washington coaching staff, leaving Jackson to fend for himself.

However, before anyone could get too concerned about this lineup gap, Ephesians Prysock transferred in from Arizona and took the open spot opposite Jackson. He appears to be another lockdown guy like Muhammad, only six inches taller and a couple of years younger.

"i've got to come in and compete -- that's what all those guys are up here for," said Prysock, as serious as Mohammad was always laughing and smiling. "I'm just competing."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

TOP 10 CORNERBACKS FOR THE 2025 NFL DRAFT 👀

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The 6-foot-4,190-pound Prysock, who is from Canyon Country, California, north of Los Angeles, is off to a much faster college start than his predecessor, appearing in 23 games and starting 16 times over two seasons, and earning 2023 All-Pac-12 honorable-mention accolades for the Wildcats.

Conversely Mohammad, who was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection last fall for the UW, played in 19 games over his first two years at Oklahoma State, his first college stop, and didn't start until the last outing against Notre Dame in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl.

Through 15 spring practices, Prysock clearly showed himself to be an exceptional talent. His one-on-one battles against wide receiver Denzel Boston, who at 6-foot-4 looks him straight in the eye on plays, were as riveting as they were entertaining -- with both players taking turns beating each other.

Arizona transfer Ephesians Prysock shakes hands with safety Kam Fabiculanan. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Just this week, Muhammad and Prysock showed up together on a top 10 list of cornerbacks to watch throughout the coming season and into the 2025 NFL draft, as compiled by NFL Draft Files. The former Husky was ranked fifth, the current UW player 10th.

They previously had a chance to compare skills in Tucson last season when the Huskies took a 31-24 victory. Prysock finished with 6 tackles, Muhammad 3.

They'll meet again on Nov. 30 in Eugene, in a season-ending Big Ten game matching Washington and the Ducks. Muhammad and Prysock should be running neck and neck as prospective pro corners, as among the Big Ten's best, maybe flipping those top 10 corner rankings.

"He's physical, he's tough, he's 6-foot-4 and he's an NFL corner," Fisch said of Prysock. "Our goal is to get him to meet his dreams."

EPHESIANS PRYSOCK

What he's done: Prysock started 3 of 10 games as an Arizona freshman and all 13 games last season for the Wildcats. He has 77 career tackles, 7 pass break-ups and an interception in 2023 against Washington State. He ran with the No. 1 UW defense throughout spring ball, either paired up with Leroy Bryant, Thaddeus Dixon or Jackson. Based on name alone, Ephesians and Elijah would form a somewhat biblical pairing.

Starter or not:: While there are competitive position battles throughout the Husky lineup, this is not one of them. The guy is one of the locks for a first-team job, probably spends just one season in Seattle and is off to join other UW-produced corners in the NFL such as Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon.

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