During Thursday’s practice session, Washington took the field in helmets only. There were, however, more team periods and 11-on-11 periods than on Tuesday’s opening day of Spring. And for the defense, this is a group that’s been able to take the field with momentum under year-two coordinator Ryan Walters.
“[We’re] way ahead of where we were at this time last year,” Walters said after Thursday’s practice. “So we were able to add a couple more wrinkles earlier and try some new things. Guys are flying around, communicating at a high level, it’s just fun to watch and fun to get back to football.”
Ryan Walters Talks Washington’s Linebackers
Washington Linebacker Veterans
The middle of the Husky defense currently features three veteran linebackers with starting potential. Jacob Manu recorded 116 total tackles for Arizona in 2023. But an injury sidelined him in 2024, and he took a redshirt season last year. Xe’Ree Alexander’s 2025 season was one that took him from rotational player to starter and bowl game MVP. And Zaydrius Rainey-Sale’s true freshman year earned him eight games played with two starts on defense.
“They all get along really well,” Walters said of the linebacker trio. “In our first defensive team meeting before spring ball, I was like, ‘Hey, listen, this is going to be healthy competition.’ We’ve got arguably four starting Big Ten linebackers when we mostly play with two.” In addition to Manu, Alexander, and Rainey-Sale, Buddah Al-Uqdah is a fourth capable starter when healthy. He started the first three games of 2025 before injury and will be hungry to earn his way back into the lineup when cleared to practice in the Fall.
Competition and Versatility
“Anytime you’ve got competition, that’s going to elevate a room,” Walters continued. “And if a room gets elevated, our defense is elevated. And if our defense is elevated, our program is elevated.” Walters’ defense has typically been a two-backer defense, as he described. But with the depth at linebacker, there will be new wrinkles to the middle of the unit to get them all out there at once. “It will be good to have a rotation, keep guys fresh. We’ll get creative to find ways to get more than two guys out there.”
We’ve already seen a three-linebacker set on multiple occasions during some of the team period sessions at Washington’s practices this Spring. With Manu and Alexander lined up as traditional stack-backers, Rainey-Sale has flexed down into the EDGE spot and out wide into more of a nickel role.
“We’re going to elevate more plays with all three of us in,” Alexander said after Thursday’s practice. “When all three of us are out there, we just enjoy it because we’re all out there ready to just dominate whoever’s in front of us.”
Xe’ree Alexander’s Growth
But position multiplicity is not limited to Rainey-Sale. Alexander is a versatile player with veteran knowledge of the defense. “I love being versatile, I love to spend time with the d-ends and EDGE rushers to work on my pass rush and elevate that game too,” Alexander explained on Thursday evening. “I want to put the film out there to show I can play in the box, but that I can [also] play on the EDGE too and rush the quarterback.”
Alexander began the 2025 season as a second-string linebacker for Washington. He played just 46 snaps in the first three games combined. But injuries in the room afforded him increased reps on gameday, and he took advantage. Alexander played 67 snaps in the Rutgers game with eight tackles and a season-high six stops. He then went on to start the final five regular-season games and earn LA Bowl MVP honors with a sack, a tackle for loss, an interception, and a couple of pass breakups in that game. Said Walters after practice on Thursday, “Anytime you finish a season the way he did, that’s going to give you some confidence into the offseason and into Spring ball.”
When asked about how he’s carrying that momentum into the 2026 season, Alexander said, “Just bringing the knowledge from last season into this season. And just elevating everything behind that – footwork, shedding blocks. I feel like I’ve really improved from last season to now.”
Year-to-Year Improvement
When compared to last season, Alexander acknowledged where he was at this time last year. “When I first got here, I feel like it was a really big adjustment, learning a whole new playbook.” Walters has also noticed the improvements from the former Idaho and UCF linebacker. “If you look at practice one and two from a year ago, it looked a lot different for him,” Walters described. “It’s just a testament to the work he’s put in.” Now, he’s on pace to start among a rotation of high-quality linebackers in this Husky defense. When you evaluate his versatility and the production he created last season, it’s going to be nearly impossible to justify keeping him off the field.
Main Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
