The Washington Huskies expect their linebackers to be one of the best units in the country by the end of the 2026 season.
Headlined by a trio of seniors in Jacob Manu, Xe'ree Alexander, and Buddah Al-Uqdah, along with sophomore Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, position coach Brian Odom's unit has the talent, production, and veteran experience to live up to that billing.
"We have a lot of high expectations," Odom said on Thursday. "And that's one of the things about having the, quote, unquote, one of the more veteran groups, and one of the groups that has perceived as the best players, there's an added pressure to that...We've gotta separate ourselves and rise up and carry the team on our back."
"They've had a lot of long and physical practices, and the challenge
to that group has been, 'If you think you are the best player and the best unit on this team, then these are the times that you separate yourself from the other units on the field in terms of bringing up everybody's play to where it needs to be.' So that's the responsibility. If you feel like you're a good player, and you feel like you're the best player, then that's your responsibility to bring guys with you."
With Alexander donning a gold non-contact jersey on Thursday in an effort to limit his workload and keep him healthy, according to the senior, while Rainey-Sale has been limited for the last week with a minor injury, Odom still has plenty of confidence in his group based on its prior performance and mental ability.
Defensive tackles pic.twitter.com/6Sld8GdokI
— Roman Tomashoff (@rtomashoff34) August 20, 2026
"(Quarterbacks coach JP) Losman was talking, and he was ripping out questions to different guys about their individual position. And the first linebacker he called on was Zay, and I was very thankful in a team meeting they called on Zay, because I would have bet the mortgage that Zay would know it," Odom said of the former No. 1 in-state recruit. "And before he even got the question all the way out, he was already spitting out the answer. The guy is phenomenal, and him missing a couple practices here and there in terms of the small setback, nothing serious.
"But the thing with him is, I'm not really concerned about him in terms of the film room, because the guy is so locked in, and he proved that a year ago, when he was here, the first six months, he didn't take a rep in spring ball. You can't do anything in summer. He gets to in the season, where he finally was cleared to do some reps, and he went in, and it was like he had been taking reps the whole time. I don't worry about him at all. The dude is completely locked in."
As the grind of fall camp carries on, here's more from Montlake.
Fall camp notebook
- After missing Wednesday's practice for personal reasons, sophomore wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck returned on Thursday. However, the 2025 Freshman All-American was in a T-shirt and shorts instead of full pads, and only participated in individual position drills.
- Seventh-year senior offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett also returned to action and took some reps with the first-team offense at right guard, while sophomore Champ Taulealea remains limited.
- Freshman cornerback Elijah Durr recorded the defense's biggest play of the day, pouncing on a fumble from freshman running back Ansu Sanoe during a team period.
- Washington's first-team receivers continued to impress. Rashid Williams picked up nearly 40 yards on a diving catch after a perfectly run route against cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, which sent the Virginia transfer falling to the turf, while Christian Moss recorded another long touchdown, with today's coming from 45 yards out.
- As he works his way back from a minor injury, freshman receiver Jordan Clay made an impressive play while working with the second-team offense. While also matched up with Karnley, he was able to fit both his feet in on the sideline to pull in a back shoulder pass from quarterback Elijah Brown.
- Following several perfect days in a row while he continues to learn the position, center Kolt Dieterich had a pair of snaps go awry during various team drills.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington football's linebackers are completely locked in for 2026
