With the 2026 football season still less than 60 days away, Washington’s countdown to its Sept. 5 opener against Washington State has turned into a look back at the Huskies who wore each jersey number along the way. For the 51-day mark, the list brings together a mix of standout linemen, a Hall of Fame-era center, and one of the program’s most dominant defensive tackles.
Dan Eernissee was a four-year letterwinner and a two-year starter at center in 1983 and 1984, opening 24 straight games and including the 1985 Orange Bowl victory over No. 2 Oklahoma.
He picked up Academic All-Pac-10 honors twice and added a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award in 1984. When the 1984 team was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2016, Eernissee was chosen to speak for the group.
Dean Kirkland carved out his own place in the Washington line from 1988 through 1990, starting 27 games at guard. He started all 12 games in 1990 at right guard and served as a co-captain that season.
That was also the year he helped clear the way for Greg Lewis, who became the first winner of the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the best running back in college football. Kirkland later went to the Buffalo Bills in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
His son, Jaxson Kirkland, followed the family path to Montlake by signing with Washington ahead of the 2017 season and staying for six years, including the COVID-affected 2020 campaign. He started all 49 games he played in purple and gold, earned Freshman All-America mention in 2018, and added All-America recognition after the 2022 season.
Kirkland was a three-time First Team All-Pac-12 selection, twice at left tackle and once at left guard, along with three Academic All-Pac-12 honors. He also won the Don James Perseverance Award last year after injuries sidelined him for the end of the 2021 season and the start of 2022.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed him as an undrafted free agent before the 2023 NFL season.
Reggie Rogers remains one of the most productive defensive linemen in Washington history, ranking top-5 among Huskies at his position in tackles and top-8 in tackles for loss and tackles for loss yardage. From 1984 to 1986, he started 34 games, including 24 in a row over his final two seasons, and finished with 294 tackles, 38 tackles for loss and 20 sacks.
As a senior, he was a consensus All-American and also earned All-League and All-Coast honors in both 1985 and 1986. The Detroit Lions selected him No. 7 overall in the 1987 NFL Draft, but his professional career was derailed by personal problems, including an accident he caused while over the legal limit that killed three teenagers.
Detroit waived him in 1989 after felony charges were filed and he had also broken his neck. A year later, Rogers was convicted of vehicular homicide and sentenced to 13 months in prison.
He later attempted comebacks with Buffalo and Tampa Bay, then continued his career in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Shreveport Pirates.
In Other News...
Washington Still Has One Big Frontcourt Problem To Solve
Washingtons frontcourt picture is still coming into focus as Danny Sprinkle pieces together a roster that mixes returning players, transfer help and international additions. The Huskies have enough bodies to build around, but not enough certainty yet, especially at power forward and center, where several options come with very different kinds of risk and upside.
Wini Braga, Lathan Sommerville and Mady Traore all fit into the conversation, but each brings a different tradeoff for a team trying to get its interior rotation right before the season starts. Sommervilles health history, Traores lost season and Bragas unfamiliar profile all leave Washington with decisions to make, and the staff is still weighing how the frontcourt should be shaped if it wants both toughness on the glass and enough scoring inside. [Read more 🡒]
One Open Huskies Receiver Job Could Shape Washington's Entire Offense
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Christian Moss is part of that competition, giving Washington a transfer with prior game experience and a chance to reestablish himself after missing most of last season because of injury. He is not the only name in the mix, with Bodpegn Miller, Rashid Williams and Chris Lawson also pushing for those outside snaps, and Jedd Fisch is expected to let performance sort it out before making the call. [Read more 🡒]
Washington May Have Found Its Final Piece As Pressure Builds
Washingtons search for its final roster spot for the 2026-27 season has led it overseas, where a Slovenian guard has been turning heads at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament. The Huskies are looking to round out a group that still has room for one more addition, and the timing matters with other programs also monitoring the same rising backcourt prospect.
The appeal is obvious from Washingtons side: the player has been productive throughout the event and has shown the kind of all-around game that tends to travel well. But with Iowa and Rutgers also in the mix, this is the kind of recruitment that can move quickly, and the Huskies may have to wait out the rest of the tournament before the picture around his decision gets any clearer. [Read more 🡒]