The Washington Huskies‘ third spring practice under Jedd Fisch is set to culminate with the Dawgs After Dark spring game on Friday night.
After getting an up-close look at the team for all 13 open practices (the 14th was a walkthrough that was closed to fans and the media), here are three things to watch for.
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High-end freshmen
Throughout spring camp, Washington’s depth chart has been littered with former blue-chip prospects from the 2026 class who have made a big-time impact on the depth chart. From left tackle Kodi Greene, who has taken every single snap with the first team offense, to defensive linemen Derek Colman-Brusa and TI Umu-Cais, outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean, and wide receiver Trez Davis, all of whom have spent the majority of their time with the first and second-team units.
Safety Gavin Day, cornerback Jeron Jones, running back Brian Bonner, and linebacker Ezaya Tokio are among other members of the 2026 class who have made a significant impact and could play a key role in the extended scrimmage on Friday night.
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Who’s in and who’s out
The Huskies have seen players go down with bumps and bruises throughout spring camp, and their availability will certainly be something to watch for on Friday night. Linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale has donned a gold non-contact jersey for the last two weeks of practice, but stated that he expects to be good to go for the spring game.
Redshirt freshman tight end Austin Simmons has also been in a non-contact jersey, while the wide receiver room might be a little thin. Christian Moss, Bodpegn Miller, and Chris Lawson were all suited up during Tuesday’s practice, but did not participate in any team drills, instead working with the rest of the players in the rehabilitation group who are coming back from various injuries.
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Ryan Walters’ defensive installation
After changing his defensive philosophy to fit the personnel that the Huskies had in the building in 2025, the defensive coordinator has gone back to his roots: five-man fronts, exotic blitzes and pressure packages that cause the quarterback to hold onto the ball, and changing the picture in coverage from pre-snap to post-snap.
How much of that will he want to put on film for the rest of the Big Ten in the spring game? That remains to be seen, but throughout spring practice, Walters hasn’t been afraid to deploy his promising, versatile unit in a variety of ways as the players expect to be one of the nation’s top ten defenses by the end of the season.
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This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Three storylines to watch for at the Washington Huskies’ spring game
