Washington's young WRs stand out amid the elements at spring camp

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If you ask Ryan Walters, because there were no pads on, he'd consider Washington's second spring practice a day of fake football. However, the Huskies still got a lot of work in, and they seemed to get comfortable being back on the field before they put pads on for the first time on Saturday.

Not only did quarterback Demond Williams Jr. get comfortable throwing to his inexperienced, yet talented group of wide receivers, but the Huskies got used to the elements, as a chilling wind whipped around UW's east practice field and rain sprinkled down throughout the workout, both of which caused several players to slip, errant passes, and bad snaps throughout the day.

But that certainly didn't deter Washington's second-year defensive coordinator.

"This is not difficult," he said on Thursday. "I just came from Illinois, Purdue, and Colorado. It's a lot colder there."

Heading into his fourth season on Montlake and looking to seize a much bigger role, as long as he can stay healthy, wide receiver Rashid Williams also didn't seem to mind the weather. The former four-star recruit was Williams' go-to target as the Huskies ran some more team period drills, and he responded with the play of the day, reaching up and plucking a perfectly placed pass from his quarterback out of the air with one hand for a 5-yard touchdown while working against senior safety Alex McLaughlin.

Although the elements played a factor throughout the day, several of Washington's receivers showed off their promising skill sets as five or six players rotated through the first team to get reps with the starting quarterback.

Freshman All-American Dezmen Roebuck was another pass catcher who made some big plays, with a grab reminiscent of several of his highlight reel moments from his explosive 2025 fall camp, reaching back across his body to snag a pass that was thrown behind him and hauling it in before tumbling to the turf.

Sophomore Chris Lawson, who had an impressive spring camp in 2025 before he was limited by injuries in the fall, also made his mark on the practice. Working against sophomore cornerback Dylan Robinson, he ran a crisp comeback route to haul in a pass from Williams, before the two connected later on in practice on a bootleg with Williams rolling to his left before hitting Lawson on a deep crossing route, while freshman Jordan Clay and Kennesaw State transfer Christian Moss took several first-team reps as well.

Here are some other observations from Thursday's practice.

Spring practice notebook

  • Speaking of Clay, he showed off his impressive athleticism over the middle of the field with a leaping grab that verified the Huskies could put together some ways to isolate him and get him involved close to the goal line.
  • Robinson put together a solid day as he displayed technical advancements in his first full year at cornerback, highlighted by a physical pass breakup while working against the equally large Moss in a 7-on-7 drill.
  • Freshman defensive tackle TI Umu-Cais had a really nice pass rush rep against redshirt freshman Jack Shaffer, blowing by him with his advanced hand usage and quick first step. Sacramento State transfer DeSean Watts also put together a few strong pass rush reps as the Huskies search for some more sacks from the interior in 2026.
  • A pair of freshmen, running back Brian Bonner and safety Gavin Day, joined the ranks of the 2026 class being tested with the top units, as both took second-team snaps on Thursday. Derek Colman-Brusa continued getting his reps with the first team alongside junior Elinneus Davis, while Kodi Greene was firmly entrenched with the starters at left tackle.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington's young WRs impress at Huskies' second spring practice

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