Observations from UW Huskies’ first fall camp practice

SEATTLE – It’s hard to imagine a more picture-perfect day for Washington and coach Jedd Fisch to open fall camp.

The morning sun shone brightly, traces of clouds floated lazily in the bright blue summer sky, interrupted only by the occasional roar from a Blue Angel jet or a passing flock of geese flying through the cantilevered roofs of Husky Stadium.

UW officially started its fall camp Wednesday at Husky Stadium. The Huskies, who will not begin wearing pads until the sixth practice at the earliest because of NCAA rules, did not do any 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 scrimmaging. Instead, they spent a majority of their first practice installing red-zone offense and defense, working on special teams coverage and conditioning.

Sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., as expected, took all the first-team snaps while fifth-year quarterback Kai Horton, a Tulane transfer, was firmly entrenched with the second-team offense. Freshman Treston “Kini” McMillan ran the scout team, while freshman Dash Beierly worked with the third-team offense.

After consistently mixing up the offensive lines throughout fall camp, Fisch and position coach Michael Switzer opted for their more experienced lineup Wednesday. Junior center Landen Hatchett, sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis, a Kansas State transfer, and junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi retained their spots from the spring. They were joined by redshirt freshman Paki Finau and sixth-year senior Geirean Hatchett at the left and right guard spots, respectively.

That meant the two true freshmen guards – John Mills and Champ Taulealea – spent their first official practice working with sophomore center Zachary Henning, fifth-year tackle Maximus McCree and sophomore tackle Soane Faasolo.

Washington’s wide receiver situation was also clarified slightly. Junior Denzel Boston, who Fisch said Wednesday was the only receiver locked into a starting spot for 2025, was a limited participant as he continued his recovery from offseason cleanup surgery. The Huskies gave opportunities to sophomore Rashid Williams, freshman Raiden Vines-Bright, senior Omari Evans – the Penn State transfer – sophomore Audric Harris and junior Kevin Green Jr.

Evans notably lined up in the slot several times. The 6-foot, 190-pound receiver, who had 21 catches for 415 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, played 111 snaps in the slot during the past season, according to Pro Football Focus. He’d exclusively lined up outside during an impressive spring before an injury cost him an appearance in the spring game and the final few practices.

Fisch confirmed Evans is solidly in the competition for the starting slot receiver role that Giles Jackson starred in for the Huskies during the past season, along with Harris and Green. Fisch also said Evans is in consideration for the other outside receiver spot opposite Boston.

On defense, the Huskies spent a majority of the time working on goal-line situations. Washington deployed a new tandem at safety, partnering sixth-year senior Makell Esteen with Northern Arizona transfer Alex McLaughlin. Esteen spent almost the entire spring playing next to FIU transfer CJ Christian.

Washington’s secondary also revealed another new twist. Senior cornerbacks Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis, predictably, played a majority of their snaps together while fifth-year senior Dyson McCutcheon and redshirt freshman Rahshawn Clark continued to rotate at nickel. Sophomore Leroy Bryant also remained part of UW’s second cornerback pairing from the spring, but he was joined by true freshman Dylan Robinson.

The 6-3, 195-pound cornerback from Bonita High in Southern California did not enroll early to participate in spring practices, and arrived on Montlake during the summer. A four-star recruit according to 247Sports composite rating, Robinson was the second-highest rated prospect to sign with the Huskies during the 2025 recruiting cycle behind linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.

Fisch named Robinson, along with wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck and tight end Baron Naone, as the three of the standouts among the new freshmen who did not participate in spring practices.