Washington freshman DB holds his own in extended action vs. Minnesota

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There wasn't a lot to be happy about for anyone on Jedd Fisch's coaching staff following the Washington Huskies' 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters was seen walking off the field shaking his head, as the 27 points his unit allowed was the most in his tenure on Montlake.

However, one person who stood out was freshman safety Gavin Day. With cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and nickelback Rahshawn Clark both unavailable, Walters turned to more three-safety looks against the Golden Gophers, which he used a lot in 2025 to counter two-tight end personnel, thrusting the former four-star recruit into a larger role, but for a different reason.

"It was more to give (Minnesota quarterback) Drake Lindsey more things to think about and try to disguise where we were inserting and why, based on what kind of coverage we were playing," Walters said on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound product of Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, who made a name for himself at the high school level as one of the most physical defensive backs in the country, looked like he belonged in Big Ten play, tallying the first three tackles of his career.

"After his first series in there, I thought he played well," the defensive coordinator added. "He got downhill and made a couple nice stops. Didn't look out of place; he had been showing progress in practice, so it was good for him to get some live action and get a couple tackles."

With Karnley and Clark seemingly in line to return when the Huskies head to Southern California on Saturday for a matchup with the USC Trojans, Day may return to more of a rotational role, but he could develop into a valuable piece of Walters' secondary down the line.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington freshman DB holds his own in extended action vs. Minnesota

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