Pro Football Focus grades Washington's secondary among nation's best

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The Washington Huskies were looking to lean heavily on their defense heading into the 2026 season, and Ryan Walters' unit has delivered, especially in the secondary.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Huskies' secondary has graded out at an 87.1 through the first five games of the season, good for No. 10 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten, only behind Penn State, which ranks No. 2 nationally with a 90.8 grade.

A big part of the grade appears to be Washington's ability to generate turnovers, as the Huskies also rank No. 2 in the conference in interceptions with 7, only behind UCLA. Combined with the secondary's ability to step up and contribute in the run game, led by safety Alex McLaughlin, who boasts a team-high 33 tackles, with 4.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble, the UW defense has picked up right where it left off last season.

Despite a 25-21 loss to the USC Trojans on Saturday, Jedd Fisch's coaching staff seemed very pleased with the group, as both the head coach and second-year defensive coordinator highlighted the growth of sophomore cornerback Dylan Robinson.

"He was a lot more aggressive than he had shown in the past, and that was something we had challenged him on over the course of the week with his size, his athleticism, his frame, and his ball skills, just to have the confidence to play the game that he's capable of playing, and I thought he did that," Walters said on Tuesday.

Robinson was also flagged for a questionable pass interference call late in the third quarter to extend a USC drive, where it appeared that receiver Tanhook Hines got his hand inside the sophomore's shoulder pads and pulled him to the ground, and Walters added there isn't much to teach the former four-star recruit on the play.

"I'd tell him to play it the exact same way," he added.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Pro Football Focus grades Washington's secondary among nation's best

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