ESPN names Washington football among programs on the rise in 2026

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Jedd Fisch has remained confident throughout the offseason that the Washington Huskies are a program on the rise thanks to an intriguing mix of veteran experience and promising young talent.

Following a 9-4 2025 campaign, including a win over Boise State in the LA Bowl, ESPN's Bill Connelly named the Huskies as one of college football's top candidates to build on their success heading into Fisch's third season at the helm.

Even without running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston, who departed for the NFL, the Huskies have plenty of promising talent around quarterback Demond Williams Jr., and combined with what the program expects to be an elite defense in coordinator Ryan Walters' second season, after it finished the 2025 season No. 15 in the nation in points per game, allowing just 18.7 points per game, Fisch's team has all the building blocks of a contending Big Ten team.

"Williams' stay-or-go saga killed the afterglow of a fantastic rebound season in Seattle, but if there are indeed no issues stemming from that, the Huskies could potentially improve further," Connelly wrote.

"The conference schedule is rocky, featuring five of the top-seven projected (non-Washington) Big Ten teams; considering Washington's primary issue last year was damaging high-level defenses, that might prevent a serious CFP push. But with Williams, five experienced offensive linemen and proven defensive disruptors such as linebacker Jacob Lane and safety Alex McLaughlin, I'm expecting a top-20 caliber team."

With all their building blocks, as long as the Huskies can find some contributors at wide receiver behind Freshman All-American Dezmen Roebuck after Denzel Boston's departure for the NFL draft, and running back following Jonah Coleman's graduation, Fisch's team could rise up the national ranks in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: ESPN names Washington football among programs on the rise in 2026

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