Three UW Players Who Stood Out in Practice 14

Forced inside by the rain, the University of Washington football team put together a short but efficient 14th practice on Friday, one that boiled down to three names when looking for something different from the norm.

Dezmen Roebuck, John MIlls and Xe'ree Alexander.

A 5-foot-11, 175-pound freshman wide receiver from Marana, Arizona, Roebuck has been impressive since the first day of fall camp. Yet he took it to yet another level in Dempsey Indoor with the season opener now just two weeks away.

He will play against Colorado State, bank on that, it's just not clear in what role. It's not far-fetched to think he could be a starter.

Once more on Friday, Roebuck caught nearly everything thrown in his direction, hauling in a 35-yarder from Demond Williams Jr. that he caught without breaking his stride. Later, Williams found him for a 40-yard gain while cutting across the middle. He also got his hands on screen passes and quick outs.

Dezmen Roebuck continues to impress in practice. | Dan Raley

Running-backs coach Scottie Graham remembers sitting with coach Jedd Fisch when they were at Arizona and hosting a seven-on-seven tournament in their stadium when Roebuck first caught the eye of Fisch in particular.

"He said, 'Whoa, did you see that?' " Graham recalled. "It's not a surprise. He's gotten bigger, stronger and faster. He was doing that for the last three years. His ability to track that ball and catch it is God-given."

The battle for starting left guard between freshman John Mills and redshirt freshman Paki Finau continued on Friday morning, with Mills almost exclusively drawing the first-team snaps this time.

While Finau is a solid looking 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds and a workmanlike player, Mills is an inch taller, close to 20 pounds heavier and an overly powerful player with a lot of enthusiasm. The freshman is being given every opportunity to win the job.

"John is physical, he loves the game and he's really detail oriented," senior running back Jonah Coleman said. "He's been able to continue to grow. He's learned from the older guys like Geirean Hatchett and Landen Hatchett and Drew [Azzopardi] and Carver [Willis]. Having those guys in the room has definitely helped him. The sky's the limit for him."

John Mills just looks bigger than all of the UW offensive linemen. | Dan Raley

Finally, Alexander is an inside linebacker and the local guy from Kennedy Catholic High School, who transferred in from Central Florida, where he started seven games last season, and from Idaho in 2023, when he was a 13-game starter.

He's a much different player since spring ball. At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, he up 20 pounds since coming to Montlake. While he's still a linebacker, the Huskies had him at edge rusher for the first time in Friday's practice.

Alexander, whose older brother Lonyatta was a UW wide receiver in 2022 and is now at Idaho, is someone who can run and he's found a comfort zone in a new defense.

"I'm telling you, Xe'ree has flashed this fall camp," linebackers coach Brian Odom said on Wednesday. "He's looking a lot better then he did in the spring. ... He's come out and he's playing a lot faster and with a better pad level and using better hands and doing the things we need him to do."

With edge rushers Isaiah Ward and Deshawn Lynch injured, and Zach Durfee absent from Friday's practice for reasons unknown, the UW all of a sudden might be a little light on players at that position, hence Alexander getting a chance to move outside.

The Huskies will now turn to their mock game on Saturday night, beginning at 6:30 p.m., which will double as a fan photo and autograph opportunity following the football activity.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: