Washington players took the individual podiums in Las Vegas for their media sessions at Big Ten Media Days. Senior cornerback Ephesians Prysock is preparing for his final year of eligibility and provided great insight during his availability. He broke down some of the technical skills he’s been working on at his position and Ryan Walters’ coaching style as a defensive coordinator. Prysock also spoke to the relationship he has with several of the Arizona transfers, and what it means to be in the same locker room with those guys once again.
Prysock Takes Podium at Media Days
Reunited 2022 Arizona Class
Eight members of Jedd Fisch’s 2022 recruiting class at Arizona are now on the roster at Washington. “It just feels good man, to have a lot of those guys back on this team this year,” Prysock said. “It just feels amazing just to go to war with the same guys I came in with. And kind of go out with them as well.” Prysock was a four-star and the highest-rated recruit among defensive players in that class. Other defensive players who now play for Washington include fellow 6’-4” cornerback Tacario Davis, Isaiah Ward, Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, and Jacob Manu.
EDGE rusher Russell Davis II is another defensive player from that recruiting class. But at Big Ten Media Days, Fisch announced that Davis would be out for the season with an injury. With his unfortunate absence from the playing field this season, seven of the eight former Arizona players in that top 25 recruiting class of 2022 will either be starters for Washington this season or in the rotation.
Improving Coverage Skills
Prysock made a jump in his coverage skills at cornerback from his 2023 season to his performance in 2024. As a sophomore at Arizona, Prysock allowed 38 receptions and just over 600 receiving yards in coverage on 63 targets. That equates to roughly a 60% completion rate in coverage. In 2024 at Washington, he was targeted slightly less, just 51 times, but allowed only 28 receptions for 411 yards. That dropped his completion rate to 54% in coverage.
“I’ve been working on a lot of off-man, a lot of zone coverages,” Prysock said in Las Vegas. “A lot of just my weaknesses.” Man coverage figures to be something we see frequently in the Husky defense under Walters. In man, Prysock said that he and cornerback Davis can use their 6’-4” length to their advantage in coverage. “We get to put our hands on some receivers, and lock them down, man,” he began. “It’s easier for us to put our hands on guys, like jam ‘em, and different things.”
Walters’ Coaching Style
During his tenure at Illinois, Walters took an Illini defense that ranked 114th in the nation in 2020 to third in the nation in 2022. The Illinois secondary fielded some talented players in the secondary, and he was able to refine their skills while implementing his signature cover-one defense. Walters forged an elite secondary and top-tier defense.
“He coaches us hard,” Prysock said. “I like him because he gets on us, coaches hard. When things don’t go right, he lets us know.” Walters is detail-oriented in his coaching. This Spring, we watched as Walters went through his defensive installation process with his players. They’d repeat reps and walk-throughs at half-speed, reinforcing the importance of their assignments and precision. The formula for success in Walters’ defense has been proven at Illinois. Watching him repeat it at Washington and hearing Prysock’s comments regarding his coaching style are great signs that his formula is being replicated on Montlake.
Main Image: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
