Three things we learned about UW’s defense this spring | Analysis
SEATTLE – Ryan Walters is no stranger to second-year improvement. As a defensive coordinator, it’s his history-proven expectation.
In 2018, during Walters’ first season as the defensive coordinator at Missouri, the Tigers allowed 25.46 points and 388.5 total yards per game. During his second season in charge, Missouri gave up just 19.42 points and 312 total yards per game.
The trends continued at Illinois. Walters’ Fighting Illini defense surrendered 21.92 points and 365.5 total yards per game in 2021. Just a year later – as one of the top defenses in the country in 2022 – Illinois allowed just 12.77 points and 273.5 total yards per game.
Walters, now entering his second season at Washington, has a group that seems primed for a similar jump. UW boasts one of the country’s most experienced linebacker corps. Jedd Fisch announced his starting secondary – cornerbacks Dylan Robinson and Emmanuel Karnley, safeties Rylon Dillard-Allen and Alex McLaughlin and nickel Rahshawn Clark – back in January, and said they have the potential to be the best in the Big Ten.
So, with spring practices complete following Friday’s spring game at Husky Stadium, here are three things we learned about Walters’ defense this spring.
1. Departures on the interior
The biggest question for Washington’s defense entering spring practices revolved around its defensive line. Particularly on the interior.
Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Anterio Thompson, selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft, ran out of eligibility during 2025. Bryce Butler (Texas Tech), Jayvon Parker (Maryland), Armon Parker (Maryland), Caleb Smith (Alabama) and Dominic Macon (Oklahoma State) all entered the transfer portal.
The departures meant junior Elinneus Davis, a 6-foot-3, 312-pound defensive tackle, was the lone contributor returning. Spring practices offered the first glimpse of who might play next to him in the heart of the defense.
Walters and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi settled on Derek Colman-Brusa, the 247Sports composite four-star prospect who was the top player in Washington during the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Getting Colman-Brusa on the field early wasn’t particularly surprising. Playing him at defensive tackle, however, was slightly unexpected. Colman-Brusa rose to prominence as a recruit predominantly playing edge rusher at Kennedy Catholic High. When he signed with the Huskies, Colman-Brusa was listed at 6-5, 267 pounds.
But Colman-Brusa added significant weight during his first quarter on campus after enrolling in January. He weighed 295 pounds this spring, giving Walters and Kaufusi the confidence to start him in the middle of the line instead of on the edge.
“He still has the twitch and the athleticism that he had when he was a little bit lighter and on the edge,” Walters said.
Walters said Colman-Brusa has adapted well to the position change. The defensive coordinator said the game moves faster on the interior than on the edge, and said the true freshman defensive tackle had to learn to watch the whole offensive line instead of simply focusing on one side. However, he credited Colman-Brusa for accepting the challenge and taking advantage of the opportunity.
“To have that athleticism, coupled with the 6-5 frame and 295 pounds,” Walters said, “he’s got a chance to be pretty special.”
2. Ramzak Fruean makes an impact
When Ramzak Fruean, the former Bethel High standout, chose Washington days before the early-signing period began, it was largely because of how Walters wanted to use his versatility.
They told the 6-4 Fruean they envisioned him playing in a variety of spots. At linebacker, the position he played in high school. Possibly even box safety, as a potential successor to McLaughlin.
Fruean’s time at Washington, however, will start on the defensive line. He was officially listed as an edge rusher on UW’s roster, and Walters said Fruean, who now weighs around 235 pounds, made some of the most impressive defensive plays during spring practices.
“He’s got the athleticism of a nickelback, but the size of an edge rusher,” Walters said. “And so anytime you can get that closer to the line of scrimmage and keep that athleticism, you’re going to be productive.”
Fruean capped his strong spring with a good performance in Friday’s spring game. He sacked redshirt freshman quarterback Treston “Kini” McMillan for a 3-yard loss with some help from freshman linebacker Ezaya Tokio on Team Purple’s fifth drive, then caught freshman wide receiver Mason James on a jet sweep behind the line of scrimmage for another 3-yard loss during Team Purple’s sixth drive.
Walters said they’d still like Fruean to add more weight this summer. And he’ll have to compete with seniors Jacob Lane and Isaiah Ward, sophomore Devin Hyde and possibly junior Russell Davis II, who will potentially return from a patellar tendon injury that cost him the entire 2025 season, during fall practices. But Walters was confident Fruean, who won’t turn 18 years old until November, will continue to grow and build on his standout spring.
“This summer’s going to be huge for him and his physical growth,” Walters said. “But I love the way the guy plays. Love the way he comes to work every day.”
3. DeSean Watts may be answer at nose tackle
Walters arrived at Washington a year ago with a reputation. Specifically, the five defensive linemen fronts that led him to successful stints at Missouri and Illinois.
During his first year at UW, however, Walters showed some tactical flexibility by moving away from his trademark fronts, largely because the Huskies did not have an impactful nose tackle.
Walters and Kaufusi tried to address this personnel issue again before 2026 by signing defensive tackle DeSean Watts. The 6-0, 313-pound lineman spent one season at Sacramento State, where Pro Football Focus graded him as the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the entire FBS, after starting his football journey at Fresno City College.
Watts primarily partnered with Ball State transfer Darin Conley during spring practices. However, he was also called to join the top defense when they practiced in five-man fronts as the primary nose tackle. Watts registered a tackle for a loss during the spring game when he stopped redshirt freshman running back Julian McMahan in the backfield for a 1-yard loss in a second-and-one situation.
“I’m for sure a run stopper,” Watts said on April 25.
Walters, for his part, said he’s very confident in the personnel available on the interior defensive line. The defensive coordinator noted good defenses often separate themselves by the different presentations and pressures they can offer up front, while coverages are generally similar across most defensive schemes.
Having a player like Watts, who can play as part of a four-player front or a five-player front, only increases the variety of looks UW’s defense can show opposing offenses. And Walters said he’s been able to add more wrinkles during the spring as they prepare for 2026.
“Under his scheme,” Watts said, “it’s really fun.”