Commentary: Did UW Huskies hire the nation’s best defensive coordinator in Ryan Walters?

SEATTLE – On Monday morning, Jedd Fisch sat at a table inside the Touchdown Terrace suites beyond the east end zone at Husky Stadium. Arms folded, perusing a page of notes, the 48-year-old Fisch declared that Ryan Walters is “probably the best defensive coordinator in the country.”

Of course, there are credentials to back that claim. In 2022, Walters – who Fisch hired last month to replace Steve Belichick – conducted perhaps college football’s premier defense. In his second season at Illinois, the Fighting Illini finished first in the nation in scoring defense (12.8 points allowed per game), interceptions (24), opponent pass efficiency rating (92.64), opponent completion percentage (51.3%) and red-zone touchdown rate (35.5%). He transformed a perpetual punching bag into a Big Ten bully.

But a whole lot has happened in the two seasons since.

Walters’ tenure as Purdue’s coach was forcefully abbreviated, as the Boilermakers went 5-19 overall and 3-15 in Big Ten play. The 39-year-old coach was fired Dec. 1 and hired by the Huskies barely a month later.

Which brings us back to Monday, in the Touchdown Terrace suites, where Walters – wearing a purple hoodie – chose to double down.

Seattle Times columnist: “Ryan, when Jedd says you’re the best defensive coordinator in the country, what’s your reaction to that?”

Walters, without hesitation: “I agree.”

Beside him, UW secondary coach John Richardson let out a laugh, perhaps surprised by the refreshingly frank self-assessment.

“Because that’s what I’ve done,” Walters added, explaining his answer. “The last time I was in charge of calling plays and running a defense, we did something special at Illinois in a two-year span. I also had a lot of success at Mizzou (where he spent six seasons on staff, the last three as defensive coordinator) in a tough conference. I’ve never been more motivated and more hungry to get back to that.”

Of course, the veracity of that claim does not need to be debated. It will be proved, or disproved, inside Husky Stadium.

Up Next – The Fast Break: Best of Feb. 6

But let’s assume February bluster translates in the fall.

If UW has the best defensive coordinator in college football … how much will that help?

Walters inherits a defense with verifiable strengths and weaknesses from 2024. Belichick built a unit that excelled against the pass – finishing first nationally in opponent yards per pass attempt (5.7), second in passing yards allowed per game (166.5) and 12th in opponent completion percentage (55.7%). The Huskies sat 28th in total defense (328.4 yards allowed per game), a 71-spot improvement from 2023.

But that improvement was also incomplete. The Huskies still struggled against the run, sitting 87th in rushing defense (161.85 yards allowed per game) and 88th in opponent yards per carry (4.56). They also failed to disrupt offenses – ranking 98th in turnovers gained (14), 109th in sacks per game (1.54) and 132nd out of 134 teams in tackles for loss per game (3.69).

Damningly, UW cratered in critical moments – landing 92nd in red-zone touchdown rate (64.4%) and 107th in third-down defense (43.8% conversions).

It certainly seems like Walters has seen those stats.

“There are things that are musts on defense: Effort and physicality,” he said. “We’ll be great in the red zone. We’ll be great on third down. We’ll be great at taking the football away. We’ll be multiple.

“Coach Fisch alluded to (the system) schematically being very similar to what UW was a year ago. So I believe in presenting different pictures up front, attacking offenses – especially on early downs – to get advantageous third-down situations.”

But a scheme or a stunt or a disguised blitz can do only so much.

It’s unclear if Washington has the players to drastically and instantly improve. After all, linebacker and leading tackler Carson Bruener – who has exhausted his eligibility – was UW’s only All-Big Ten performer in 2024. The team’s top four tacklers (Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala, Kamren Fabiculanan and Sebastian Valdez) have all departed the program, and standout cornerback Thaddeus Dixon (an All-Big-Ten honorable-mention selection) followed Belichick to North Carolina.

Point blank: Defensively, UW just might not be that talented.

Does UW have the potential to make significant strides? That will depend on the development of returners such as cornerback Ephesians Prysock, edges Zach Durfee and Russell Davis II, defensive tackles Jayvon Parker and Elinneus Davis and safety Makell Esteen; the impact of transfers such as cornerback Tacario Davis, defensive tackles Simote Pepa and Anterio Thompson, linebackers Xe’ree Alexander and Taariq Al-Uqdah and safeties CJ Christian and Alex McLaughlin; and the emergence of 29 true freshmen with an immediate point to prove.

Walters, for one, does not equate experience to potential impact.

“What I love about football: It is nondiscriminatory,” said Walters, who played safety at Colorado from 2004-08. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, what color skin you got, your socioeconomic background. The only thing that matters is what you put on tape from snap to whistle. We are a competitive program. So if you’re in the top 11, you can go play. My track record defensively speaks to that.”

His track record also provides reasons for optimism, considering Illinois sat 97th in scoring defense (34.9 points allowed per game) and 114th in total defense (466.8 yards allowed per game) the season before he was hired.

Considering UW’s limited returning production and lack of blue-chip thump, fans shouldn’t expect miracles on Montlake. It’ll still be hard to stop reigning national champion Ohio State inside Husky Stadium on Sept. 27, or rival Oregon on Nov. 29.

But when Walters leaned into a microphone and said, “I agree,” he simultaneously accepted an expectation.

If Walters really is the best defensive coordinator in the country, we should see it soon enough.