Washington Huskies Have 10 Players on East-West Bowl Watchlist

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The Washington Huskies football team could find itself in the running for a College Football Playoff spot this upcoming season if it meets preseason expectations.

The Huskies have been included in several preseason top 25 lists and, based on where they tend to be placed in those rankings (mid-teens), it would place them right near the cutoff for the CFP.

A large part of the expected success for Washington is the returning talent on both offense and defense, as well as players added to the roster via the transfer portal, and it seems like at least one organization seems to have recognized it.

The East-West Shrine Bowl released its preseason watchlist for the annual bowl game, and 10 Huskies were featured on the list.

Here's a breakdown of the players featured on the preseason East-West Shrine Bowl watchlist:

Demond Williams Jr., quarterback, junior

Williams will be entering his third season with the Huskies and second as a full-time starter.

The third-year signal-caller is coming off a season where he led the Big Ten in total yardage. He completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions and ran 143 times for 611 yards and six touchdowns.

Drew Azzopardi, right tackle, senior

Azzopardi is one of four starters on the offensive line returning from last season. He started at right tackle for all 13 games in 2024 and played in 11-of-13 games last year, starting all games played at right tackle.

Landen Hatchett, center, senior

Hatchett will be playing his fourth season this year with UW. He played and started in nine games at center last season before missing the final four due to injury.

Alex McLaughlin, safety, senior

McLaughlin transferred to the Huskies last season and instantly became an impact player on the secondary. He finished his first year in the Big Ten with 94 total tackles (62 solo), six passes defended and two interceptions (including one pick-six).

Emmanuel Karnley, cornerback, junior

Karnley transferred to Washington this offseason from Virginia and will be one of two starters at cornerback, alongside returning sophomore Dylan Robinson.

With the Cavaliers, Karnley had 26 total tackles (20 solo), eight passes defended and one interception last season.

Jacob Lane, edge rusher, senior

Lane will be entering his fourth year with the Huskies and second as a full-time starter. Last season, Lane finished with 40 total tackles (23 solo), two passes defended and four sacks.

Elinneus Davis, defensive lineman, junior

Davis will enter this season as one of the featured starters on Washington's defensive line after a solid spring.

Davis finished his sophomore year last year with 29 total tackles (19 solo), two passes defended and half a sack.

Jacob Manu, linebacker, senior

Manu transferred from the Arizona Wildcats to the Huskies last season, but dealt with injuries that kept him out for most of the year. He finished last season with 23 total tackles (13 solo) and one pass defended.

Xe'ree Alexander, linebacker, senior

Alexander, like Manu, transferred to Washington last season. He joined the Huskies after spending a season with Central Florida.

Alexander finished his first season with the Huskies with 70 total tackles (42 solo), three passes defended, one sack and one interception.

Hunter Green, punter, senior

Green transferred to the Huskies from San Diego State as one of the top punters in the country in average yard per punt and punts landed inside the 20-yard line. His father, Phil Green was a former walk-on with the Huskies.

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