The Washington Huskies have their first Big Ten weekly honor of the 2026 season after senior safety Alex McLaughlin was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.
The former Northern Arizona transfer posted 9 tackles (one shy of linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale for the team lead), .5 for loss, and a pass breakup in Washington's 17-10 comeback win over Nebraska, along with a game-sealing interception of quarterback Anthony Colandrea in the fourth quarter, which he returned 48 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 17-7 lead with 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.
That was one of three interceptions on the day for Jedd Fisch's team, as the defense put together arguably its best performance of the season in Lincoln
to help UW improve to 5-3 on the year.
💫 Captain Alex McLaughlin • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 2, 2026
A game-sealing pick-6, nine tackles, and 0.5 TFLs against Nebraska.
➡️ https://t.co/2aIgQKtNmo pic.twitter.com/4dBLDuWk5w
"The three interceptions were huge," Fisch said after the game on Saturday. "Alex finishing it with the interception for a touchdown; that was that same interception he could've scored against Washington State. We told him, 'Go score this time, man,' and he did, and he made it a 10-point game, and that was awesome."
McLaughlin has been Washington's best player on defense all season, and was recently named a Midseason All-American by Sporting News as he boasts a team-high 57 tackles and 7 tackles for loss, while his 2.5 sacks and 3 interceptions are both tied for the team lead through eight games.
With the honor, McLaughlin becomes the first Husky to take home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week since edge rusher Russell Davis II in November 2024 after a 3-sack performance against the UCLA Bruins.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington football star S named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
