The buzz in the air on Washington's east field was a little different on Sunday morning as the Huskies took the field for their third practice of fall camp, and not just because Jedd Fisch's team put pads on for the first time.
No. 46 took the field with the defensive line, which left every single member of the media scrambling to figure out who it was since there is nobody with that number listed on the printed roster. Then, he turned around and quickly ended the doubt with Uiagalelei clearly displayed on his nameplate.
Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei, who initially transferred to Washington ahead of the 2025 season, appears to be taking advantage of a federal court ruling allowing every member of the class of 2022 an extra year of eligibility in conjunction
with the new 5-for-5 rule that the NCAA has put in place moving forward.
For the Huskies, his addition is a welcome one.
Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei pic.twitter.com/F83KBvxIeH
— Roman Tomashoff (@rtomashoff34) August 9, 2026
"It's so awesome," sophomore offensive lineman John Mills said. "I saw him in the training room the other day and I was so hyped; he's such a good dude to have on the team and off the field, such a great guy."
Running backs coach Scottie Graham admitted he hasn't crossed paths with the fifth-year defensive lineman just yet, but was also excited for the additional depth along the defensive line.
"I can't wait to see him; it'd be great to see him and give him a hug. I've known him since he's been probably 18 years old."
On his first day back, Uiagalelei didn't take any reps during Washington's first 11-on-11 reps of the fall, but the defense didn't really seem to miss his presence, as senior offensive analyst Matt Cavanaugh said that Ryan Walters' unit was ahead of the offense.
"From an offense/defense standpoint, I thought our defense took it to us a little bit," Cavanaugh said. "But that's the challenge we're going to have every week, so it was good for us the first day out to see them being a little more aggressive. We had some success with our first group, less with the second and third, so I'd still like to work on that."
Here are some other notes from Sunday's workout.
Fall camp notebook
- Running backs Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley, cornerback Dylan Robinson, and defensive linemen Kai McClendon and Devin Hyde were all among a group of limited participants who did not take the field during team drills.
- Freshman cornerback Jeron Jones had an impressive practice. He took some reps on the outside with the first team in Robinson's absence, and also took advantage of an ill-advised throw from quarterback Dash Beierly in the end zone for an interception.
- Kennesaw State transfer wide receiver Christian Moss also had a solid practice, capped off by a 10-yard touchdown over cornerback Emmanuel Karnley during a 7-on-7 period.
- "I think it's outstanding," Cavanaugh said of the competition between Moss and freshman Jordan Clay. "I mean, we've got some youth, obviously; Christian's older, but he had a great spring. He's making plays. Quarterback's got a lot of confidence in him, and Jordan's a freshman, and competing. And that's what you want, I don't think anybody's saying, 'Oh, I'm his backup. I want that job.' So when they've got that kind of mentality, it kind of pushes everybody to…'If I'm the number one guy now, I better keep working my butt off so I can stay number one, because this guy wants my job.' And it's the same in all the positions. That's the mentality you should have if you're backing somebody up. I did that for 14 years, hoping I could get a starting spot."
- Freshman outside linebacker Ramzak Fruean had another disruptive practice. He put together a strong bull rush rep on Sam Houston State transfer Kolt Dieterich with the second team, and took advantage of a batted Elijah Brown pass on a blown-up screen play, hauling it in for an interception.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: A familiar face headlines Washington football's third fall practice
