With the Washington Huskies set to kick off the 2026 season in less than two weeks against the Washington State Cougars in the Apple Cup, Jedd Fisch’s team got an influx of reinforcements back during Tuesday’s practice.
As bumps and bruises accrue over the course of fall camp, Fisch’s coaching staff has been a big proponent of playing things safely. Cornerback Dylan Robinson, linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, and offensive lineman Champ Taulealea have missed time over the last few weeks, and all three made their return to the team portions of practice, while defensive tackle Kai McClendon took his first reps with the Huskies after spending the entirety of spring and most of the fall recovering from a torn ACL.
“Right now we’re just trying to see where he fits in,” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said of the Mississippi State transfer on Tuesday. “We’ve just got to put together a good week of practice, and follow that up with a good week of game prep, and we’ll see where he’s at.”
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If his first practice is any indicator of that, the third-year player could be a strong addition to the interior. He batted a Demond Williams Jr. pass into the air during an early team period, which turned into the day’s only turnover, a diving interception for linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah.
“Obviously his size and his experience,” defensive tackle Elinneus Davis said of what McClendon brings to the interior. “He comes from an SEC school, but his style, he brings everything you want in a nose tackle, (3-technique), so we’re trying to get him in the scheme and understand the blocking schemes, and that’ll help him go a lot longer.”
As for Robinson, who was dealing with a minor groin injury that the coaching staff chose to rest so it doesn’t bother him during the regular season, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he made his return.
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“It feels great,” he said. “I feel like all camp I’ve been itching to get out there, and I’m grateful that today I could finally get out there.”
However, in his stead, Fisch’s coaching staff has seen the rise of true freshman Jeron Jones, who was named to On3’s Preseason True Freshman All-America team on Tuesday. The former four-star recruit from Mission Viejo High School still took some reps with the first-team defense and will be a part of the rotation on the outside this fall.
“He’s definitely earned playing time,” Walters said. “Specifically in packages where we need more cover guys. I think his consistency, his football savviness, the way he’s handled the install, his maturity on the field…he also is a lot more physical than we anticipated coming out of high school. He shows up well in the run game…not afraid of contact, and is confident with his reads and pulls the trigger.”
Here’s more from Tuesday’s practice.
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Fall camp notebook
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With freshman receiver Jordan Clay unable to practice for the second straight day, junior Justice Williams continued to impress. He hauled in what appeared to be a 30-yard reception from backup quarterback Elijah Brown (yardage is hard to track at Dempsey Indoor Center), and also reeled in a 2-yard touchdown during a fourth-and-goal drill.
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Speaking of Dempsey Indoor, it may be the only thing that can contain senior punter and Ray Guy Award watch list honoree Hunter Green, who saw four or five kicks ricochet off the roof of the facility.
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After taking a big hit from cornerback Emmanuel Karnley in Saturday’s mock game, freshman receiver Mason James returned to practice in a gold non-contact jersey, joining senior Xe’ree Alexander, who donned one for the third straight day. However, Walters stated that it was simply load management, and if there was a game tomorrow, Alexander would be able to suit up and play.
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Seventh-year senior Geirean Hatchett took some reps at center alongside Kolt Dieterich and Jake Flores, as his younger brother Landen continues to work his way back from a broken wrist.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington football gets return of several key pieces at fall practice
