The 8 biggest storylines to watch as Washington's fall camp begins

This coming Thursday is a big day for the Huskies. August 6, which comes exactly a month before Washington’s first football game of 2026, also marks the start of the team’s fall camp. 

It’s been a busy offseason for the Huskies, and with plenty of questions still looming following the Big Ten and Washington media days, there’s a lot for fans to monitor. Today, I’m going over eight storylines fans should be aware of as the team begins its third season under head coach Jedd Fisch. 

No offensive coordinator: Fisch seeking ‘one less voice to the quarterback’

Fisch parted ways with longtime coaching partner and 2025 UW offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty in February, despite Dougherty’s offense tallying the nation’s 17th-most points per game (34.1) and helping the Huskies earn nine wins. Fisch, who has handled offensive playcalling for the entirety of his head coaching career, has since declined to hire a replacement.

“I guess what I wanted to do is kind of have one less voice to the quarterback,” Fisch said during a media day interview with the Big Ten Network. “I thought that with Demond, the best thing that we could do is have a one-on-one relationship, and then bring in JP Losman, and let it kind of be JP – the former player who I coached at Seattle – and myself, and be able to make that the real relationship (between Williams and the staff).”

Losman is an eight-year NFL veteran quarterback who played under Fisch (then the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach) for a year in 2010. He joined the Huskies as an offensive quality control coach in 2025, and the talented recruiter was promoted to quarterbacks coach (formerly a Dougherty role) this offseason.

“All of our coaches are back this year that we wanted back this year. There is not one coach that chose to leave our program this season,” Fisch said during a Big Ten media day press conference on July 30. “We made one addition in Matt Cavanaugh, we made one promotion in JP Losman, and for the rest of that group, we are here and ready to go.”

Cavanaugh, a former 13-year NFL passer, joined the Huskies as a senior offensive assistant this spring. His addition and Losman’s promotion may not be immediately obvious to Husky fans, but if quarterback Demond Williams Jr. takes a major step forward this year, the two will deserve some praise.

How will the running back depth sort out?

Washington’s biggest portal loss this offseason was surely running back Adam Mohammed, who announced his shocking decision to transfer less than one week after rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s 38-10 LA Bowl victory over Boise State.

Things got even worse for the Huskies’ ground game in the spring, when Mohammed’s presumed successor, Jordan Washington, went down with a career-threatening neck injury during an April 4 spring practice.

With plans A and B out the window, the Huskies will now enter the 2026 season reliant entirely on transfer portal acquisitions and young talent.

“We went into the portal and got Jayden Limar, we went into the portal and got Trey Cooley, and then we have, I think, a special, special young running back named Quaid Carr who was a true freshman last year,” Fisch said. “He played about 10 snaps, and I think we’re going to let him rip this year and see what it looks like.” 

If Carr does indeed get most of the workload, the former three-star prospect will likely be prepared. Both Limar (ankle surgery) and Cooley (knee rehab) missed spring practices while recuperating from injuries they acquired prior to transferring, and their absences surely gave Carr some early experience to build upon this fall.

Thankfully for Husky fans, Fisch announced during a 10-minute interview by The Cover 3 Podcast that he expected every running back not named Washington (along with every receiver, every linebacker, and every defensive back not named CJ Christian) to be full participants in an Aug. 3 conditioning test consisting of 40-yard, 50-yard, and 60-yard sprints. He later reported on Aug. 4 that all players participating in practice passed that test. 

Getting Limar and Cooley back to full strength was imperative for a Huskies staff which hopes to maintain an imposing running attack in 2026. Fisch stated during Washington’s Aug. 4 media day press conference that Carr and Limar were likely to get most of the first-team reps this fall, but given Fisch’s offensive philosophy, Husky fans can probably expect to see a fair amount of rotation at the position.

“If you can be a physical presence, pound the rock until they say ‘no,’” Fisch said during an interview at Big Ten media day. “Then you have your chance to score touchdowns. The other way doesn’t work for me.”

Transfers could make major impressions on defense, special teams 

Limar and Cooley will likely make immediate impacts for the Huskies, but they won’t be the only transfers to do so this year. Despite Fisch’s distaste for the transfer portal, he used it to make 14 additions this offseason, including several players who are likely to contribute right away.

Emmanuel “Manny” Karnley is perhaps this offseason’s biggest addition. The former Arizona and Virginia cornerback is expected to slot in as a starting cornerback, where the Huskies must replace NFL rookies Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock. Prysock has already given Karnley a ringing endorsement, and the fourth-year cornerback has locked down first-team reps all offseason. The 6-foot-0, 188-pound native of Antioch, Calif. is poised for big things.

Most of Washington’s defensive portal action came on the defensive interior, necessary in response to an exodus which saw five defensive linemen transfer out and another four depart as seniors. The Huskies responded by signing three interior linemen (DeSean Watts, Darin Conley, Kai McClendon) and one edge rusher (Logan George) via the portal.

Neither Watts, Conley, McClendon, nor George is expected to start in 2026, but all are capable of making major impacts in rotation. The first three additions give Washington a second-string interior defense composed almost entirely of portal acquisitions. Meanwhile, George, who impressed head coach Ryan Day at Ohio State before getting hurt, is likely to be a primary backup edge rusher in a room which features two returning starters in fourth-year Jacob Lane and fifth-year Isaiah Ward.

Meanwhile, special teams duties will fall to former Texas State kicker Tyler Robles and former San Diego State punter Hunter Green. Robles hit 21 of 23 field goals for the Bobcats in 2025, and Green’s 2025 average distance of 47.0 yards ranked eighth nationally.

Fisch extremely confident in rebuilt defensive line

The transfer additions on the defensive line are big for Washington’s depth, but fans shouldn’t forget the quality of their starting players, either. When asked about his defensive line, Fisch was quick to point out the presence of three returning starters: a pair of edge rushers in Lane and Ward and a fourth-year defensive tackle in Elinneus Davis.

Lane finished the 2025 season tied for the team lead with four sacks, and Ward picked up two despite missing the final five games. Meanwhile, Davis started 10 of 13 games on the interior, where he proved himself a reliable presence.

Washington’s returning trio of starters gives Fisch and company a strong foundation to work with this year, and makes it easier to integrate the new faces who’ve joined the Huskies this offseason.

“We brought in some special players,” Fisch said regarding the changes made on the defensive line. “Derek Colman-Brusa, a true freshman, the No. 1 player in the state of Washington, is gonna make a huge impact for us. Darin Conley, we brought in from Ball State [to] make a huge impact for us. DeSean Watts, we brought in. We have an unbelievable freshman in [Tufunua Ionatana] Umu-Cais."

Colman-Brusa is a monstrous 6-foot-5 defensive tackle who’s nearly 300 pounds as a first-year. The Burien, Wash. native and consensus four-star prospect has reportedly been impressive during his first collegiate offseason, and has adjusted well after shifting inside from defensive end (where he weighed closer to 260 pounds) to defensive tackle. He’s set to partner with Davis as an immediate starter on the interior, where he could become a difference-maker in Year 1.

Washington’s four transfer additions along the defensive line (see above) have given the Huskies some solid rotational depth, but the Dawgs have some returning talents who could also find their way into the mix.

Devin Hyde, a second-year edge from Menlo Park, Calif., played in all 13 games last season, and is sure to see increased reps in 2026. He earned particular praise from one former Husky ahead of the NFL Draft (keep reading) and could be essential to upgrading a UW pass-rush which tallied only 20 sacks in 2025. 

Russell Davis II, a fifth-year edge who’s missed most of the last two seasons with injury, could also see rotational use on the outside, and Umu-Cais is just one of six total first-years who joined Washington’s defensive line corps this offseason.

“We have a group of defensive linemen who I feel really, really good about,” Fisch said. “I think we’re probably in the best spot we’ve ever been in, in my last six years as a head coach.”

Who breaks through at wide receiver?

Washington’s passing offense will look different in 2026 following the departure of star wideout Denzel Boston. Boston, who was drafted in the second round of April’s 2026 NFL Draft, was the Huskies’ standout No. 1 receiving option in 2025.

With Boston gone, that WR1 title will go to another, but who?

The early favorite to become Williams’ top target is likely Dezmen Roebuck. The Marana, Ariz. native finished his freshman season with 42 catches for 560 yards and seven touchdowns, each tally of which was good for the team’s second-most after Boston.

Now, Roebuck is back for Year 2 with even more opportunity before him. According to Fisch, he’s going to move to more of a slot-focused role, which should feel natural for a 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver.

“When you look at him physically, you wouldn’t say he’s the tallest, he’s the fastest, he’s the biggest, but he’s just the best,” Fisch said of his budding second-year star.

Roebuck’s got big expectations this year, but either starter on the outside could theoretically break out into a more traditional WR1 role, too.

“Rashid Williams is back; he missed the whole season with a broken collarbone at the Z receiver spot,” Fisch said of the depth at receiver. “We did go to the portal and bring Christian Moss in who is a big-time talent out of the South in Georgia. Then we went and got a freshman in Jordan Clay who I think is pretty special.”

Williams, who showed flashes of promise as a redshirt freshman in 2024, began 2025 as UW’s starting Z receiver, but was sidelined for the year by a collarbone fracture which he suffered in Week 2. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he’s got sufficient size to line up outside, and as a fourth-year Husky, he’s got plenty of experience in the system.

Then there’s Moss, a sixth-year collegiate veteran who spent his last two seasons with Kennesaw State after transferring there from Virginia Tech. Moss tallied 45 catches for 689 yards and two scores in 2025. As Washington’s latest 6-foot-3 X receiver, he’s got a chance to step into the limelight during his final season of college football. 

Also contending for rotational reps are returning players Chris Lawson and Justice Williams, as well as a trio of first-years in Jordan Clay, Trez Davis, and Mason James. Clay, who stands 6-foot-2 and was Washington’s highest-rated 2026 receiver commit, certainly has potential to break into an early contributing role on the outside, but he’s not the only one.

“It’s a very talented room,” wide receivers coach Kevin Cummings said during Washington’s Aug. 4 media day press conference. “We’ll see how it all plays out, how deep it actually is. I know there’s a lot of talent and explosiveness in the room, but we’ve got to see who puts it all together, and who’s ready to go.”

Kodi Greene in at left tackle, Geirean Hatchett out at right guard

The offensive line is perhaps Washington’s strongest position group, but there have been changes there, too.

“We have four…five returning starters on the o-line, two that are competing, and then we have a freshman that we’re gonna let rip at left tackle and [we] can’t wait to see it,” Fisch said.

That freshman is 6-foot-6, 320-pound Kodi Greene, a former five-star recruit who was rated by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 3 tackle prospect a year ago. His 247Sports Composite grade of 0.9876 makes him the sixth-highest-rated recruit in school history, and qualifies him to slide in as an immediate replacement for fourth-round NFL draft selection Carver Willis.

“We are the only team in the Big Ten that will start a freshman at left tackle,” Fisch said, before also indicating that his Huskies would start “a sophomore at right guard.”

Greene’s been expected to start at tackle for some time now, but the news at right guard could catch fans by surprise. Last year’s starter, Geirean Hatchett, is returning for a seventh year of college football, but certainly isn’t a sophomore anymore.

You don’t often see multi-year contributors bounced down the depth chart, but Fisch’s language seems fairly conclusive. 

Hatchett operating off the bench in 2026 is at least slightly surprising given that he was the only UW offensive lineman to start every game a season ago. However, Hatchett has missed most of the offseason while recuperating from an elbow injury which occurred on just the second day of spring practice. 

With Hatchett not quite ready to return to full action, second-year Champ Taulealea seems poised to assume his starting role at right guard.

Taulealea, a massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound native of Milpitas, Calif., saw late-season rotational usage across Washington’s final five games, and took an injured Hatchett’s place at right guard for the final 13 practices of spring ball. Now, Taulealea’s likely won himself a starting job, and he’s also earned plenty of respect from a former teammate.

"Champ [Taulealea] and Devin Hyde are going to have big years this year," Willis said at the 2026 NFL Combine. He described the pair as “two young guys who I think just have maximum potential."

‘Great battle going’ for starting nickelback spot

With both starting safeties returning, Karnley filling one cornerback opening, and second-year cornerback Dylan Robinson elevating into a full-time starter across from him, Washington’s starting secondary has largely been set in stone.

However, Fisch told fans at Big Ten media day that one position was yet to be filled.

“I really love where we are on the outside, and then we’ve got a great battle going right now with Jeron Jones and Rahshawn Clark, our starting nickel,” Fisch said. 

Clark, a rising third-year who started five games at nickelback in 2025, missed all 15 of this offseason’s spring practices while recovering from shoulder surgery, which became necessary after an injury he suffered in December’s LA Bowl. He finished the year with 21 total tackles, two interceptions, two passes defended, one sack, and one forced fumble.

Despite his solid stats and incumbent status, Clark is apparently getting some competition from Jones, a first-year cornerback who had previously been rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound ballhawk out of Mission Viejo, Calif. took five of his 11 high school interceptions back for touchdowns, and his UW coaches seem to think him capable of making an immediate impact at the college level. Even if Jones doesn’t take Clark’s starting job, I’d expect to see plenty of him in dime coverage and in rotational looks.

More first-years poised to break out

Washington’s transfer additions could come in clutch for the Huskies in 2026, but Fisch has yet to embrace the idea of regularly relying on the portal, especially for acquiring plug-and-play starters.

“We haven’t changed our philosophy. We recruit to our family. We recruit high school players,” Fisch said. “We have very few players from the transfer portal, and hopefully we will get to the number zero from the portal as we move forward.”

Ignoring the portal entirely is probably a bad idea (Hello, Dabo Swinney), but Fisch’s recent success with true freshmen should certainly inspire confidence in his ability to get the most out of his own young talent.

Last year, Roebuck and left guard John Mills entered Washington’s offense as true freshmen and emerged as freshmen All-Americans. They were joined on the defensive side by a third freshman honoree in safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, who lined up alongside another major freshman contributor in Robinson.

This year, Husky fans are hoping that another strong crop of first-years gives them more of the same results. 

As starters, Greene and Colman-Brusa are obvious contenders for All-American honors, but if Jones beats out Clark at nickelback, he’ll be another freshman success story in the making. Any of the three receivers we talked about earlier could also play themselves into a larger role.

However, there are other first-year Huskies to monitor ahead of fall camp. Former four-star safety Gavin Day was Washington’s second-highest-rated recruit behind Greene and has been turning heads this offseason. His 6-foot-3 frame and impressive athleticism give him a chance to earn rotational looks across the back seven of Washington’s defense.

JD Hill, UW’s third-highest-rated recruit according to 247Sports, could be another rotational weapon on the defensive interior, as could three-star Fisch favorite Umu-Cais.

Fisch has stressed this offseason that the 2026 Washington Huskies have been “built, not bought.” Last season was a significant tone-setter in that regard, but another year of meaningful contributions from first-year players would go a long way toward proving the effectiveness of that mindset.

Follow Beck Parsons (@BeckParsons3) and The Husky Haul (@HuskyHaul) on X/Twitter for more Washington Huskies news and analysis.

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