Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters works with players Thursday afternoon during spring practice in Seattle. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters works with players Thursday afternoon during spring practice in Seattle. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
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By
Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
Under overcast skies, intermittent rain and blustery conditions, far more inclement than its spring football opener 48 hours earlier, Washington wrapped up its second practice on Thursday afternoon outside of Husky Stadium.
“This is easy weather,” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. “Guys are out in T-shirts still, so this weather is not difficult.”
The first two workouts allowed UW’s coaching staff to get a glimpse at the newest Huskies, particularly Walters, who must find five new starters on defense before his second season at Montlake.
“Just the familiarity with the guys that are coming back from a year ago, we’re way ahead of where we were this time last year,” he said. “We’re able to add a couple more wrinkles earlier (and) try some new things. Guys are flying around and communicating at a high level. It’s just fun to watch and fun to get back to football.”
This week has been nice, but if Walters is honest, he can hardly wait until Saturday when the Huskies don shoulder pads for the first time and he’ll be able to get a more accurate assessment of how UW’s defense will work in the fall.
“Oh yeah, that’s real ball,” Walters said, smiling. “This is fake football out here right now running around in T-shirts. This is not how football is played. So, we’ll find out who the real dogs are.”
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Ryan Walters, left, defensive coordinator, with Taylor Mays, safeties coach, Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
Ryan Walters, left, defensive coordinator, with Taylor Mays, safeties coach, Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
During his first season at Washington, Walters transformed a defense that never allowed more than 26 points and ranked 15th nationally in points allowed per game (18.7) and 21st in total yards per game (311.4) last year.
As a result, coach Jedd Fisch and athletic director Pat Chun rewarded Walters with a two-year contract extension worth $2 million annually that makes him one of the highest-paid assistants in the country.
Perhaps more importantly, the 40-year-old Walters is thrilled to finally establish some roots in one place.
During his 17-year coaching career, which began in 2009, he’s made stops in Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Texas, Memphis, Missouri, Illinois and Purdue, where he was the head coach for two years before landing in Seattle.
“Throughout my career, we’ve lived in small towns, and so to be able to come out to a metropolitan area has been refreshing for my family,” said Walters, a Los Angeles native who played safety at Colorado (2004-08). “We’ve got familiarity with Seattle because my parents moved out here, my brother moved out here for 10-plus years now.
“So, to have home ties, it’s been awesome. My family’s thriving out here. The kids love their school. My wife likes it a lot out here. Obviously, being a part of a staff that has as much chemistry as we have, you feel comfortable and when you’re comfortable, you’re able to really maximize your potential. I’m happy here and hope I get to stay here a long time.”
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The Huskies are also excited about their potential in 2026.
Rylon Dillard-Allen attempts a reception during a drill Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
1 of 2 | Rylon Dillard-Allen attempts a reception during a drill Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
“We want to be the best defense in the country,” senior safety Alex McLaughlin said. “We were really good last year, and the expectation should be even higher. We got a lot of guys that are coming back in the scheme, so I think we should just elevate.”
Washington ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 14 interceptions but was 15th in the league in forced fumbles (five).
“We need to create more takeaways,” McLaughlin said. “That’s the big thing this year, because takeaways change the game. So I think that’s a big emphasis here. We’re a great tackling team. We want to stay a great tackling team and just create takeaways.”
Despite returning seven starters (linebackers Jacob Manu and Xe’ree Alexander, cornerback Dylan Robinson, nickel Rahshawn Clark, edge rusher Jacob Lane, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis and McLaughlin), it’s difficult to equate Washington to last year’s team.
“Each team has its own personality and its own lifespan,” Walters said. “It’s definitely hard to compare.”
Even though it’s early, he believes the Huskies are forming an defensive identity.
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“Aggressive, tenacious and competitive,” Walters said. “You’ve got to play a little bit of an edge, but at the same time, you’ve got to be very strategic and detailed. It’s got to look like organized chaos out there.”
The Huskies should get their first real look, like Walters has been eagerly awaiting, on Saturday.
“Oh yeah, as a defense, we love that,” McLaughlin said. “We love to put the pads on, because that’s just when we get to be physical. And yeah, we can’t wait till Saturday, because that’s when we get to play real ball.”
• During a team drill, Williams dropped a high-arcing pass over cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and connected with receiver Dezmen Roebuck, who made a difficult catch in the end zone despite tight coverage.
Percy Allen: pallen@seattletimes.com. Percy Allen is a sports reporter for The Seattle Times, where he writes about the University of Washington Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams and the Seattle Storm.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters works with players Thursday afternoon during spring practice in Seattle. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
Skip Ad
By
Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
Under overcast skies, intermittent rain and blustery conditions, far more inclement than its spring football opener 48 hours earlier, Washington wrapped up its second practice on Thursday afternoon outside of Husky Stadium.
“This is easy weather,” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. “Guys are out in T-shirts still, so this weather is not difficult.”
The first two workouts allowed UW’s coaching staff to get a glimpse at the newest Huskies, particularly Walters, who must find five new starters on defense before his second season at Montlake.
“Just the familiarity with the guys that are coming back from a year ago, we’re way ahead of where we were this time last year,” he said. “We’re able to add a couple more wrinkles earlier (and) try some new things. Guys are flying around and communicating at a high level. It’s just fun to watch and fun to get back to football.”
This week has been nice, but if Walters is honest, he can hardly wait until Saturday when the Huskies don shoulder pads for the first time and he’ll be able to get a more accurate assessment of how UW’s defense will work in the fall.
“Oh yeah, that’s real ball,” Walters said, smiling. “This is fake football out here right now running around in T-shirts. This is not how football is played. So, we’ll find out who the real dogs are.”
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Ryan Walters, left, defensive coordinator, with Taylor Mays, safeties coach, Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
Ryan Walters, left, defensive coordinator, with Taylor Mays, safeties coach, Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
During his first season at Washington, Walters transformed a defense that never allowed more than 26 points and ranked 15th nationally in points allowed per game (18.7) and 21st in total yards per game (311.4) last year.
As a result, coach Jedd Fisch and athletic director Pat Chun rewarded Walters with a two-year contract extension worth $2 million annually that makes him one of the highest-paid assistants in the country.
Perhaps more importantly, the 40-year-old Walters is thrilled to finally establish some roots in one place.
During his 17-year coaching career, which began in 2009, he’s made stops in Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Texas, Memphis, Missouri, Illinois and Purdue, where he was the head coach for two years before landing in Seattle.
“Throughout my career, we’ve lived in small towns, and so to be able to come out to a metropolitan area has been refreshing for my family,” said Walters, a Los Angeles native who played safety at Colorado (2004-08). “We’ve got familiarity with Seattle because my parents moved out here, my brother moved out here for 10-plus years now.
“So, to have home ties, it’s been awesome. My family’s thriving out here. The kids love their school. My wife likes it a lot out here. Obviously, being a part of a staff that has as much chemistry as we have, you feel comfortable and when you’re comfortable, you’re able to really maximize your potential. I’m happy here and hope I get to stay here a long time.”
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Skip Ad
The Huskies are also excited about their potential in 2026.
Rylon Dillard-Allen attempts a reception during a drill Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
1 of 2 | Rylon Dillard-Allen attempts a reception during a drill Thursday afternoon on the practice field in Seattle, Washington on April 2, 2026. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
“We want to be the best defense in the country,” senior safety Alex McLaughlin said. “We were really good last year, and the expectation should be even higher. We got a lot of guys that are coming back in the scheme, so I think we should just elevate.”
Washington ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 14 interceptions but was 15th in the league in forced fumbles (five).
“We need to create more takeaways,” McLaughlin said. “That’s the big thing this year, because takeaways change the game. So I think that’s a big emphasis here. We’re a great tackling team. We want to stay a great tackling team and just create takeaways.”
Despite returning seven starters (linebackers Jacob Manu and Xe’ree Alexander, cornerback Dylan Robinson, nickel Rahshawn Clark, edge rusher Jacob Lane, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis and McLaughlin), it’s difficult to equate Washington to last year’s team.
“Each team has its own personality and its own lifespan,” Walters said. “It’s definitely hard to compare.”
Even though it’s early, he believes the Huskies are forming an defensive identity.
Advertising
“Aggressive, tenacious and competitive,” Walters said. “You’ve got to play a little bit of an edge, but at the same time, you’ve got to be very strategic and detailed. It’s got to look like organized chaos out there.”
The Huskies should get their first real look, like Walters has been eagerly awaiting, on Saturday.
“Oh yeah, as a defense, we love that,” McLaughlin said. “We love to put the pads on, because that’s just when we get to be physical. And yeah, we can’t wait till Saturday, because that’s when we get to play real ball.”
Spring practice observations
• The Huskies are missing projected starting center Landen Hatchett (wrist), which has pushed redshirt freshman center Jake Flores into the starting lineup at times. Near the end of Thursday’s workout, he had dribbled a couple of shotgun snaps to quarterback Demond Williams Jr. The two also fumbled a couple of snaps under center.• During a team drill, Williams dropped a high-arcing pass over cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and connected with receiver Dezmen Roebuck, who made a difficult catch in the end zone despite tight coverage.
Percy Allen: pallen@seattletimes.com. Percy Allen is a sports reporter for The Seattle Times, where he writes about the University of Washington Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams and the Seattle Storm.