Camp Takeaways: Huskies’ ‘Batman’ Makes Big Contact on First Day of Full Pads
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Washington Huskies true freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen stretches on the east practice field prior to the start of practice on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Credit: Aaron Coe/Emerald City Spectrum [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. — The practice field began simmering on Monday when true freshman safety Rylon Dillard-Allen took down a receiver.
It boiled over on Tuesday when Dillard-Allen, nicknamed “Batman,” lowered a shoulder into junior receiver Kevin Green Jr. a little after a play had been whistled dead. It was the first day of full pads, and the Washington football team seemed ready for some contact after two days with no pads and three more with shoulder pads only.
The late hit led to a lot of woofing, followed by a scuffle that took much of UW’s staff to quell. Huskies safeties coach Taylor Mays said after practice that safeties should “take it up to the line” within reason.
“You’ve got to play with an edge and play with fire,” said Mays, a former star safety at O’Dea and USC. “You still want to protect the team, so it really is a fine line. [Dillard-Allen] is a guy that’s kind of right at that edge, and that’s what you want out of your players. But, at the same time, you’ve got to teach them how to protect the team. We can’t make any plays that hurt the team.”
Dillard-Allen’s aggressive play might earn him an earful from the coaching staff during practice from time to time. It’s also pushed him up toward getting significant reps as the post safety on the first-team defense. “Batman” seems poised to spend less time lurking in the shadows of the bench and more with the first or second unit this season. Though he’s been filling in while potential starter Makell Esteen, a sixth-year senior, works his way back from what is believed to be a minor injury, Dillard-Allen seems likely to play a meaningful role for Washington as soon as the season opener against Colorado State on August 30.
“I think with his athletic ability and his movement skills, he has a chance to be a special player,” said Mays, a first-year position coach after serving as an analyst for USC. “You can turn on the film, and regardless of schematically what you’re teaching, a player’s athletic ability shows or doesn’t show.”
Wednesday’s practice featured some big hits and DJ. The Huskies will take tomorrow off before resuming fall camp 10 AM on Thursday.
While Dillard-Allen stirs things up, the stability of box safety Alex McLaughlin has put the junior transfer from Northern Arizona with the first team for much of the team’s first six fall practices.
“Alex is instinctual,” Mays said. He’s a heck of a football player. His ceiling is so much higher. He naturally understands football and he has instincts, and if we can just tie a little bit more technique and detail to his game — make him a little more polished — that’s another guy that could be a special player this year.”
McLaughlin and fellow transfer safety CJ Christian have each added roughly 15 pounds since arriving in January, and both said they crossed the line to go over 200 pounds. Christian, a senior transfer from Florida International, ran with the first team during much of spring ball. Though he’s spent significant time during UW’s first six fall practices with the second team, Christian has also been with the ones and in a three-safety formation UW could roll out for short yardage and goal line situations.
Vincent Holmes, a sophomore, has also appeared with the first team, and had one of the defense’s two interceptions on Tuesday. Cornerback Ephesians Prysock recorded the other.
“Coach Mays has got us wanting to be more versatile, learning both positions,” Christian said. “In the spring, I was a lot of time mainly being the back guy. In the fall, I was kind of being a down guy as well, just so we can be interchangeable throughout the season.”
Christian made his presence known during Tuesday’s practice, making a couple of tackles in the backfield. The full pads practice is something he’s been waiting for.
“When we get in full pads, that’s like our natural habitat,” Christian said.
Scare on the defensive line
Anterio Thompson, a senior transfer from Western Michigan, was down on the field in pain for a moment after getting rolled up on by an offensive lineman. He limped off with the help of trainers, but was later seen jogging back to the defensive group and participating in linemen drills. Thompson seems destined to be a key member of what is expected to be an improved defensive line rotation.
Armon Parker saw time with No. 2 defensive line on Tuesday as he recovers from multiple injuries that have kept him from playing in a game since arriving at UW in 2022. His twin, Jayvon Parker, has been limited this fall after tearing his Achilles tendon last season.
Kicker Grady Gross splits the uprights
Senior kicker Grady Gross made kicks of 43, 40, 39 and 29 yards during team sessions on Wednesday. Gross, who was put on scholarship after hitting the Apple Cup game-winner in 2023, hit a few rough patches last season, including three misses in a 21-18 loss at Rutgers. He’s been sharp so far this fall.
John Mills, Other True Freshmen Make Cases
Offensive lineman John Mills saw a heavy dose of first-team reps at left guard on Tuesday as he pushes redshirt freshman Paki Finau for a starting spot. It’s hard to imagine Mill redshirting this year. Fellow true freshman guard Champ Taulealea could also be a candidate to burn his redshirt this year as the team works to build depth for this year and potential starters in 2026.
While watching practice, one reporter suggested an over-under at 6 1/2 true freshmen to burn redshirts this season. From what I’ve observed thus far, true freshmen who seem highly likely to play more than four games this year and thus use up redshirts include: Mills, Dillard-Allen, Dezmen Roebuck (wide receiver), Raiden Vines-Bright (wide receiver), and Dylan Robinson (cornerback).
Other possibilities include: Taulealea, Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (linebacker), and Donovan Robinson (linebacker). So, I’ll take the over 6 1/2, because unders are no fun.
