With Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock off to the NFL, the Washington Huskies' cornerback unit looks a little different ahead of the 2026 season.
However, coach Jedd Fisch still has the size and length he's looking for in projected starters Emmanuel Karnley and Dylan Robinson, which should allow defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to run his aggressive scheme that calls for a lot of man coverage on the outside.
"Manny, I recruited, and he committed and coached in Arizona, so I like reunions, so that's a good one to have him back," Fisch told Huskies Wire at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.
"It's fun to see his growth from when I had him as a freshman to now where he is as a senior. Dylan, the good part is, you look out there, and I still see my
nice, tall corner that I like to have. So, Dylan is doing really well. Dylan is...I forget how young he is sometimes, you know? I mean, his first ever start was against (Ohio State star wide receiver) Jeremiah Smith. So there is something about Dylan that he has confidence, and that's what you need from a corner."
However, behind that pair is a significant amount of youth, with a trio of freshmen: former four-star prospects Rahsjon Duncan and Jeron Jones, along with former three-star Elijah Durr, battling with junior Elias Johnson and sophomore Ramonz Adams for spots on the depth chart, while junior Rahshawn Clark is seemingly cemented at nickel.
"Jeron Jones, and we're young again," Fisch continued. "We go back to the young rotation, and Rahsjon Duncan, don't sleep on him. So, there's a really good group, Ramonz Adams, but they are young, but I love it. I love having the youth out there, and, you know, you go from young to old fast in college football."
True freshman CB Rahsjon Duncan wears No. 13 for Washington. pic.twitter.com/3wdRXjUz3b
— Nick Lemkau (@nicklemkaucfb) August 6, 2026
While young, there's a lot of buzz around the unit from Washington's coaching staff. During spring practice, Durr and Jones both showed off their quick-twitch athleticism and sticky ability in coverage, which, when combined with the high-end traits and physicality that Duncan, who wasn't able to enroll until June, gives the Huskies an abundance of talent in the secondary.
Now, it's about learning the playbook and getting up to speed mentally ahead of their first college season.
"Young kids that have a big playbook and are learning it," Richardson said of Durr and Jones. "They are athletic, they're savvy football players as well. Jeron has the ability to play inside and outside; Durr spent the majority of his spring on the outside, but both of those guys have talent and ability, which is the first indicator that you like in a young DB showing up. Do they have the ability? Can they move their hips? Can they run fast? Can they do those things?"
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington football has an abundance of young talent at cornerback
