

If you’re an honest Huskies loyalist, this one’s going to hurt. You might be very enthusiastic about what Russell Davis II could offer in 2025. Following that jaw‑dropping, three‑sack game at UCLA in 2024, it seemed like Davis was finally breaking through, poised to become the edge rusher Washington required. Then fate struck again, having fought through a spring triceps problem, Davis was hurt in summer drills with a patellar tendon pull that has officially ruined his whole season before fall camp even started.
HC Jedd Fisch and the coaching staff had been constructing future success around this guy. The young man trailed Fisch from Arizona to Seattle and flashed hints of dominance when he was healthy. Even though we never got to see the whole film, that trailer had us all excited. But with the injury pattern now, three significant setbacks since becoming a Husky, we most likely won’t see him take the field again until 2026. That’s just the way it goes, and as fans, we’re waiting in the wings to rally behind him, but man, what might have been this year.
When Jedd Fisch talked about the injury during Big Ten Media Day, his voice was sympathetic but firm: “We definitely have discussed… It’s such a pity… we had great expectations… we know he won’t come back this year… we will keep him involved.” Fisch said. He really wants Davis to rehabilitate, become strong, and remain part of the team, even from the bench. You can feel the emotional investment there.
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“We saw what he done at Arizona in a short periods of time, but um unfortunately he had a fluky uh injury again and um you know he’s in a great he’s in a great spirit. He’s in a good mind place.” Fisch said. Now, let’s discuss numbers. Around Washington and Arizona, in 26 games against college opponents, Davis accumulated 32 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, along with one forced and recovered fumble. That stat sheet does not reflect his immense potential or the frustration that goes with a great deal of disappointment. Defensively, losing Davis is a significant void.
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Along comes Jacob Lane, a 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound junior out of Puyallup, WA, who’s been growing nicely since burning his redshirt in 2023. According to analysts, he’s come up strong during spring drills and will soon get more playing time on the No.1 defense. But nobody’s exactly replacing Davis’s blend of bend, power, and technique overnight. And as the defensive front stumbles from Deuce’s lost time, the offense is also watching with great interest for another significant return, this one in the tight end situation.
Quentin Moore returned, but not without some theatrics.
Quentin Moore had a minor complication with recovery, a classic overcompensating case in which healing one leg strained the other. The silver lining? He passed his conditioning tests and is already practicing on the field. He’s currently playing at around 80-85%, with hopes that he’ll be back to full strength by the beginning of camp.
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Jedd Fisch described the situation and said, “No, he had a setback. Uh, I think sometimes when you’re recovering one lower extremity, you’re putting a little bit too much um effort on another one or too much um of an issue. He had a little bit of an issue with his other leg or with his leg. Um, but he’s doing good now. He’s back… He aced his conditioning test yesterday. So I’m anticipating him, say 80, 85% and then I believe we can get him to 100% by the second or third week of camp.” Moore isn’t fully there, but he’s moving in the right direction.
If he can build up to full strength, he’ll probably find himself carving out snaps alongside Decker DeGraaf and the rest of the tight-end corps. That’s significant because having Quentin at even 80% provides Fisch options. So, it would be fascinating how their upcoming season plays out with his comeback.
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