Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Washington Huskies have one of the nation's best underclassmen to build around in left guard John Mills. According to Pro Football Focus, he's the No. 8 best sophomore in the nation.
After allowing just eight pressures during his first year in 2025 while playing nine games at left guard and two at right tackle on his way to Freshman All-America honors, Mills is looking to build on his success, even as expectations around him continue to grow after college football analyst Phil Steele named him a Preseason Second Team All-American.
For the newly minted captain of Jedd Fisch's team, that comes down to consistency and cohesion, as he looks to help lead Washington's offensive line to the Joe Moore
Award.
Top 10 College Football Sophomores Ahead of the 2026 Season⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Edhubt6z3Y
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 26, 2026
"Everyone can have their own good play, but we need all five to work," Mills said on Wednesday. "We get four out of five people have the best player of their life, and then one could just miss on it, and the play is a (tackle for loss), it's a sack."
"So I think every single play, and throughout the entire game, we need consistency throughout all five, and the tight ends, and we just all need to work as a group."
With Mills at the forefront, alongside veterans Drew Azzopardi and Landen Hatchett, combined with promising young pieces in Kodi Greene and Champ Taulealea, the Huskies have put together a talented offensive line that could be among the best in the Big Ten by the end of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies star ranked among college football's top sophomores
