Washington has landed at No. 25 in Phil Steele’s preseason Top 40, giving the Huskies an early spot in the national conversation as the 2026 season starts to come into focus.
Steele’s ranking comes at a busy stretch on the calendar for Washington, with fall camp only five weeks away and Big Ten Media Days about four weeks out. The Huskies open the year on September 5th in the 118th Apple Cup against Washington State at Husky Stadium.
Steele pointed to quarterback Demond Williams as a major reason for the placement, writing, "QB (Demond) Williams is one of the Big Ten's best and, despite the Huskies' challenging schedule this year, they have made strides each year under (Jedd) Fisch and rank high in my Power Poll."
That praise fits the bigger question hanging over Washington’s season. Williams is going to need to take at least one and probably two big steps if the Huskies want to get into the playoff conversation, and his play against the best teams on the schedule will be the key test.
Those matchups are lined up at home against Indiana, the 2025 national champions, Oregon, Penn State and Iowa, with Nebraska on the road.
There’s reason for optimism around the roster, too. Washington should have a better defense under second-year coordinator Ryan Walters, and the offensive line is maturing with several very young but highly talented players. At the same time, Williams is working with what is essentially a new receiving group, with sophomore Dezmen Roebuck the only established piece mentioned, and a completely new backfield of talented but unproven tailbacks.
Washington is one of seven Big Ten teams in Steele’s Top 25. The others are Ohio State at No.
3, Indiana at No. 5, Oregon at No.
6, USC at No. 11, Michigan at No. 15 and Penn State at No.
- Iowa is the only other Big Ten team in the Top 40, checking in at No.
For now, the Huskies sit at No. 25, with the Apple Cup first on the schedule and a much bigger Big Ten slate waiting behind it.
In Other News...
Washington Linebackers Were Just Hit With A National Reality Check
ESPN analyst Greg McElroys early look at the nations best linebacker groups for 2026 delivered a small reality check for Washington, which was left off his top 10. It is the sort of omission that does not decide anything in August, but it does underline how much the Huskies still have to prove after an offseason built around the return of several linebackers who were either hurt or still finding their footing last year.
Jacob Manu is expected to lead the unit after missing most of last season while coming back from a knee injury, and Xe'Ree Alexander emerged late in the year as a steady presence. Zaydrius Rainey-Sale is another key piece, returning from a torn ACL with enough upside to make the group intriguing if he stays on the field. Add in Taariq Al-Uqdahs uncertain status, and Washington has both the ingredients and the questions that could make this room far better than outside observers think by seasons end. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Just Took Two Tough Receiver Recruiting Misses
Washingtons 2027 class still has some wideout juice in it, with four receivers already pledged and a mix of three- and four-star talent headlined by Braylon Pope, Tre Moore, Zerek Sidney and Tyson. For a program that has been working to stack playmakers early, that gives the Huskies a workable base even after a couple of recent swings came up short.
Osani Gayles would have been the marquee addition in the group, but Washington will have to keep building around the haul it already has as the class sits 28th nationally with 22 commits overall. The bigger question now is how the Huskies respond on the trail after seeing two of their top receiver targets head elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
National Take On Demond Williams Just Raised The Stakes For Washington
Demond Williams is heading into his junior season as one of the biggest keys to Washingtons 2026 outlook, and the attention around him only got louder after Joel Klatt put the Huskies quarterback in his honorable mentions rather than among the sports top 10. Williams already has 15 starts on his resume, which gives Washington something it often wants at the position: a known commodity with room to grow, especially with four starters back on the offensive line and a supporting cast that will be sorting itself out in the months ahead.
The stakes are a little sharper because this is not just about projecting upside in a vacuum. Williams has had to work through the kind of scrutiny that comes with uneven big-game moments, and Washington is trying to build its 2026 offense around a player whose importance has never really been in doubt. He is one of the central reasons the Huskies can reasonably talk themselves into a higher ceiling, but he also remains the piece that will most shape how high that ceiling can go. [Read more 🡒]