The Washington Huskies are still sorting out their backfield for 2026, but the program is already looking well beyond that.
Washington has reportedly offered Class of 2028 running back Noel Washington, a four-star prospect with a familiar last name for Seattle football fans. He is the son of Leon Washington, one of the best kick returners in NFL history.
The offer fits a pattern for Jedd Fisch’s program. Over the last several seasons, Washington has built a stronger reputation on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, and running back has been one of the positions where that work has paid off most clearly.
Fisch and running backs/assistant head coach Scottie Graham helped bring Jonah Coleman over from Arizona when they arrived. Coleman went on to lead the Huskies in rushing over the past two seasons and was picked by the Denver Broncos in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Now Washington has to figure out who steps into Coleman’s role. The group in the mix includes recruits Quad Carr Jr., Brian Bonner, Jordan Washington and Ansue Sanoe, along with transfer additions Trey Cooley and Jayden Limar. The staff won’t know who comes out on top until training camp wraps up, but the competition for first-string reps is already taking shape.
Even with that uncertainty hanging over next season, Fisch and Graham are making sure the pipeline stays open. Noel Washington is part of that push.
According to the 247Sports composite, he is ranked as the 288th-best overall player, the 21st-best running back and the 22nd-best player in California.
His father’s résumé is a big part of the story, too. Leon Washington spent nine seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans. He later moved into coaching, working in different roles with the Detroit Lions and Jets, and is now the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Central State, a Division II school.
Noel Washington is probably too young to remember Leon Washington’s time in Seattle, but the elder Washington left a mark there from 2010-12. He set a Seahawks franchise record with four kickoff returns for touchdowns, including two in the same game against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 26, 2010.
In Other News...
Washingtons 2026 Path Runs Straight Through Eugene
CBS Sports latest look at Washingtons 2026 schedule paints a pretty sturdy regular season, with Brad Crawford projecting the Huskies to finish 9-3. The path behind that number is familiar for a program trying to reestablish itself under Jedd Fisch: handle the games it should, stay steady at home, and keep enough balance and experience to remain in the top 25 deep into November.
The problem is where the schedule stiffens. The projection leaves Washington vulnerable in the kind of games that usually decide whether a strong season becomes a playoff season, and the margin for error gets thin once the Huskies head into the biggest road tests. If those swing games go the way Crawford expects, Washington can still be good, but not quite good enough to force its way into the College Football Playoff conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Why Washington Keeps Getting Overlooked Despite A Roster Built To Win
Washington enters Jedd Fischs third season with a roster that looks built to keep climbing, not slide backward. The Huskies have key offensive pieces back in place, including Demond Williams Jr., Dezmen Roebuck, Decker DeGraaf and four of five starting offensive linemen, while the defense is also getting a fresh look with new starters at cornerback. After the upheaval that followed the programs post-playoff turnover, Fisch has already taken the Huskies from a 6-7 first year to a 9-4 finish, and that kind of continuity usually earns a little more respect than this group is getting.
Instead, several betting sites have set Washingtons win total below last seasons mark, as if the Huskies are due for a step back before they even take the field. The Athletics preseason top 25 poll is more bullish, slotting Washington 14th and pointing to the returning core and incoming talent as reasons for optimism. Even so, the gap between how the market is pricing this team and how it is being viewed by national voters says plenty about the challenge ahead for a program still trying to prove it belongs among the sports more stable contenders. [Read more 🡒]
Former Husky Trent McDuffie Just Reached A Stunning NFL Milestone
Trent McDuffies rise has been one of the more impressive NFL storylines for Washington fans to track, especially for a player who left Montlake with a reputation built on polish, versatility and competitive edge. Evaluators around the league have kept noticing the same things, too, with NFL executives and coaches recently placing him among the top 10 cornerbacks in the sport and pointing to the same coverage traits that made him such a valuable pro prospect in the first place.
McDuffies latest milestone only adds to the sense that his career has moved into a different tier, and it comes after the kind of transaction that can reshape a players future in a hurry. The former Husky was originally drafted by Kansas City, then moved on in a trade that sent multiple draft picks the other way before he landed his new extension, a sequence that now looks even more consequential given where his market has gone and how highly he is regarded across the league. [Read more 🡒]