1 of 6 | Safety Alex McLaughlin (7) runs drills Tuesday at the Seahawks facility in Renton. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
Skip Ad
By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
RENTON — Behind sophomore safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, a single banner boasts of the historic heights achieved in this building.
Listed on the large banner inside the Virginia Mason Athletic Center are the names of all the coaches and players who were part of the Seahawks’ 2014 Super Bowl championship. Soon, it will be joined by another banner honoring their most recent triumph — the 2026 title won mere months ago against the New England Patriots.
“We’re in the house of the champions,” Dillard-Allen said. “Why not be one, you know what I mean?”
Dillard-Allen and the rest of his Washington teammates spent their seventh spring practice at the VMAC, around 15 miles southeast of their normal practice facilities on Montlake. Senior safety Alex McLaughlin said it was a good motivator and a nice change of scenery for the Huskies as they near the midpoint of spring practices.
“Once we got the message, we were all super excited to come here,” McLaughlin said. “We knew we had to bring it to practice in a facility like this one.”
Perhaps no position group is as settled as UW’s safeties. McLaughlin — now donning No. 7 after wearing No. 12 during his first campaign in Seattle — enjoyed a breakout season after transferring from FCS Northern Arizona.
Advertising
Skip Ad
Skip Ad
Skip Ad
The 6-foot-2, 204-pound box safety was a consensus 2025 All-Big Ten honorable mention by coaches and media, making a team-best 94 tackles, three tackles for a loss, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He also scored two touchdowns: a 47-yard pick six against Washington State and a 59-yard fumble recovery return against UCLA after a botched fake field goal.
He’ll likely be partnered with Dillard-Allen, the 5-11 Phoenix native who made 40 tackles including two for a loss during his true freshman season in 2025. Like McLaughlin, Dillard-Allen also switched numbers for 2026, moving from No. 18 to No. 3.
However, a new uniform number isn’t the only new part of Dillard-Allen’s appearance. After arriving at UW weighing 180 pounds, he’s now listed at 187 pounds. His goal is to maintain around 190 pounds during the season, and credited Tanner Graves, UW’s director of football performance nutrition, for helping him add good weight. Dillard-Allen also credited the quesabirria tacos from Mexican food truck Antojitos Jalisco’s.
“I’m probably their best customer,” he said.
While Dillard-Allen and McLaughlin seem entrenched as the starting safety duo for 2026, the Huskies and position coach Taylor Mays are in search of productive depth behind them. Veteran safety Makell Esteen ran out of eligibility after the 2025 season. Vincent Holmes, an important special teamer and UW’s third safety when Esteen was injured, transferred to Oklahoma State.
Dillard-Allen was a limited participant on Tuesday. The sophomore said he expects to return to practice this week, and McLaughlin spent most of the practice paired with sophomores Paul Mencke Jr. or Rahim Wright II
Mencke, whose father Paul Mencke Sr. played football and basketball at Washington State from 1996-2000, played in seven games primarily on special teams in 2025. The 6-3, 201-pound safety from Cibolo, Texas made one tackle and was named UW’s defensive scout team MVP.
Advertising
Skip Ad
“Going into his third year, he’s played,” Mays said. “He just hasn’t played on defense. He practices all the time. He’s played a lot of football. So he’s a guy that should really take a big step this season.”
Dillard-Allen complimented Mencke’s consistent effort and energy. Mencke, who initially signed for former coach Kalen DeBoer, had his most notable moment Tuesday when he got into a brief shoving match with junior wide receiver Rashid Williams. Both players were quickly separated and practice resumed with no further interruptions.
Wright missed the entire 2025 season with an undisclosed upper-body injury after redshirting in 2024. The 5-10, 195-pound defensive back, who transferred to UW from Arizona to follow coach Jedd Fisch and secondary coach John Richardson, also played some nickel Tuesday. Dillard-Allen praised Wright’s technique and said his teammate’s excitement to be back on the field after an injury layoff is apparent.
“He sat in a lot of the meetings that we had last year,” Mays said. “So he didn’t miss a ton from the meetings and the schematic standpoint. The kid is athletic. He’s physical. He’s got a great frame. And he’s a great kid, so there’s not a lot more you could ask for from a coach’s perspective.”
Extra points
- Junior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley had a standout practice Tuesday, registering three pass breakups during early scrimmage periods — two against Rashid Williams and one against sophomore wideout Justice Williams.
- Redshirt freshman quarterback Treston “Kini” McMillan had one of the practice’s longest scrimmage throws, connecting with freshman wide receiver Trez Davis against sophomore cornerback Elias Johnson for a 50-yard touchdown along the right sideline.
- Sophomore nickel Rahshawn Clark, sophomore wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck and freshman cornerback Elijah Durr all took repetitions at punt returner.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
