Top 10 Huskies’ Freshmen Poised to Make Impact in 2026

The Washington Huskies’ football program has a long history of playing true freshmen who impact winning on the field. Bringing in coach Jedd Fisch’s best recruiting class - and the best in school history (No. 12) - the Huskies have quite a few freshmen who project to get significant playing time this year.

Fisch preaches that he wants players playing as soon as they are ready regardless of class, stating, “If we make a commitment to go get a great player in high school, why would we not expect to play that player?”

Developing young players is important, but Fisch believes the best path toward development is live-game reps.

“There is too much to learn. We are such a young team... we have to look at the tape and teach off of it... we have to keep learning,” Fisch said.

In 2024, Decker DeGraaf was thrust into a starting role after multiple injuries to the tight end room. His insertion into the starting lineup paid immediate dividends, as his play resulted in him being named a Freshman All-American.

The following year, Texas native John Mills won the starting left guard job over a sophomore blue-chip prospect in Paki Finau. Choosing the freshman again proved to be the right call, as Mills earned Freshman All-American honors as well.

Will the Huskies have a third straight Freshman All-American? Who else might start in their first year?