Jordan Clay looks like the safest bet to break through on offense for the Huskies, even if the path isn’t exactly clean. The freshman wideout already made enough noise in the spring game to put himself on the radar, and with a roster that includes names like Rashid Williams and Christian Moss, he may not walk into an immediate starting job. Still, there’s a clear sense that he can matter right away in a supporting role.
Clay’s résumé gives the idea real weight. He arrives as the 17th ranked wide receiver nationally and the 18th ranked player in Texas, and his high school production backed up the ranking: 55 catches, 1,300 yards, and 12 touchdowns in 2025. Luke Kemper summed up the buzz around him this way: “Clay should be very much involved in competing for the starting job from the moment he steps foot on campus and there is a very real possibility he starts as a true freshman.”
The running back room has its own breakout candidates, and it may be the messier race. Quaid Carr has already spent much of spring practice carrying the load while Jayden Limar and Trey Cooley worked back from injuries, and that alone has given him a real opening.
With the position still unsettled, Carr could end up with a larger role than expected, or even land the starting job if the competition stays open. At the very least, he looks set for more touches.
Brian Bonner brings a different kind of case to the table. The 7th ranked running back nationally and the 16th ranked player overall out of California posted eye-popping numbers in high school: 113 carries for 1,051 yards and 13 touchdowns, plus 18 catches for 525 yards and five more scores in 2025.
He also brings speed, qualifying for the California State Championship in the 100 meters as a sophomore with a wind-aided 10.48, and he ran a 21.84 in the 200 meters. Bonner even caught a touchdown pass from QB2 Elijah Brown just yesterday, according to the Seattle Times, and that kind of versatility could force the staff to keep him on the field.
Andrew Berg put it this way in Bonner’s commitment post: “brings the kind of versatile star power to the RB room previously exhibited by Myles Gaskin, Bishop Sankey, and Chris Polk.”
Even with those two pushing hard, Clay gets the nod here. The spring-game moment stood out - Demond fired a bullet, Clay hauled it in - and that kind of flash, paired with the way the staff has been willing to use freshmen, makes him the pick.
His late flip from Baylor adds another layer to the story, and the comparison to Roebuck or RVB from last season feels like the cleanest road map. If Clay doesn’t become the Roebuck of 2026, maybe he ends up as the RVB.
Just hopefully without the transfer part.
In Other News...
Washington Defense Faces A Breakout Battle Fans Need To Watch
Washingtons defense is heading into its third year of rebuilding under coordinator Ryan Walter, and the mix on hand makes this a particularly interesting watch as camp unfolds. The Huskies have veterans in the room, but there is also a wave of younger players who could change the shape of the unit if they take the next step, including linebacker Zaydrius Raney-Sale, safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, defensive linemen Derek Coleman-Brusa and Ramzak Fruean, cornerback Dylan Robinson and defensive back Rashawn Clark.
Raney-Sale and Robinson stand out as two of the names to keep circling because both are positioned for meaningful roles in a defense still looking to settle in around its most reliable pieces. The same goes for the rest of that group, where opportunity matters just as much as talent, and the coming months should reveal which of these candidates can turn promise into real responsibilities on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Sumner Opens As Washingtons Standard With One Huge Question
Sumner opens the 2026 Washington high school football season where it finished last year, sitting No. 1 after another run to the top of Class 4A. The Spartans set the pace for a ranking list that has Puyallup at No. 2 and Lake Stevens at No. 3, with the rest of the states upper tier taking shape behind them as coaches and voters size up another fall of title contenders.
The bigger question around the Spartans is less about status than sustainability, because the roster is changing in a place where expectations have gotten very familiar. Washingtons top teams are already sorting through their own returning talent, but Sumners outlook will hinge on how well it handles one of the most important transition points on a football team while continuing to build around Braylon Pope, Gray Longoria, Owen Tobin and Ashton Pillard. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Fall Camp Is Finally Hitting The Battles Fans Care About
Fall camp is starting to feel like something more than warmups for the Washington Huskies, with Jedd Fisch heading into his third season and a roster that brings back 13 starters. Demond Williams is back at quarterback, four offensive linemen return, and a mix of transfers and high school signees is pushing the depth chart in a few spots, which is exactly the kind of pressure that can turn August practices into meaningful roster sorting.
The next stretch is where the real evaluation begins, with the staff sorting through the toughest competition on the field and trying to figure out which newcomers can force their way into the picture. For Washington, the intrigue now is less about whether the core is in place and more about how quickly the unresolved spots come into focus before the 2026 season opener, with Dawgman.com continuing to track the daily developments from practice. [Read more 🡒]