The Huskies enter the season already a bit bruised on defense, and it’s a sign of how challenging the road ahead could be for Jedd Fisch‘s squad. The injury bug hit hard with Russell Davis II, a key edge rusher who’s had a rough time staying healthy. Davis had just returned from previous injuries and was poised to make a sustained impact on the defensive front, but now that role feels like a faded dream. Losing Davis means the Huskies will have to dig deeper into their defensive depth chart. Especially along the edge, where Davis’ pass rush was a weapon that opponents dreaded.

Stepping into that void is Jacob Lane, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound junior from Puyallup, Washington. He is emerging as a strong candidate to step up and fill those big shoes. Lane’s not an untested newcomer waiting on the sidelines. He’s been around, playing in games since his freshman year, burning his redshirt early because the coaches saw he was ready to contribute. With valuable in-game experience under his belt, Lane is now poised to take a big step forward. Locked On Huskies host Roman Tomashoff recently dove deep into Jacob Lane’s potential for the 2025 season.

“Jacob Lane is someone I think is going to be, I don’t want to say the biggest benefactor,” Roman said on the podcast. “Because that’s never probably the right term to use when talking about somebody who just suffered an injury. But just the guy who’s going to have to step into the most important role following this news.” Lane’s trajectory with the Huskies has been all about steady progress and persistence. Since his freshman season in 2023, coaches have trusted him to play meaningful snaps, even late in tight games like at USC. Since then, he has built a resume as a reliable rotation player.

This spring, Lane turned heads during practices. Running with the No. 1 defense for much of the 15 spring sessions. He was a fixture in drills and scrimmages, setting a tone for the defensive unit. Roman adds, “He knows how to set the edge against the run and turn running backs back inside. He’s got the ability to not necessarily bend around the edge, but he has a couple of different pass rush moves that I like that I’ve seen him show over his freshman and sophomore year. That can help him collapse the pocket, get to the quarterback, and put some pressure on opposing passers with some form of regularity, which again is something we didn’t see last year.” At the 12th practice, Lane swatted down a pass, stuffed one of the nation’s top running backs for losses. And drew raucous praise from teammates for his energy and playmaking.

Until now, Lane has appeared in 21 games, and coaches rave about his discipline and field awareness during spring practices. On one play, Lane blew up the backfield, dropping Coleman for a 2-yard loss, and he followed it with another tackle for loss later in the scrimmage. It’s the kind of blue-collar work that doesn’t always make the highlight reels. Now, if you’re talking about pure pass rush, he isn’t the prototypical bend-and-flash guy off the edge but instead uses a mix of power moves and smart technique. “Daily deposits, daily deposits,” outside linebacker coach Aaron Van Horn said of Lane. “It’s what we talk a lot about — don’t be a yo-yo. Try to be the same guy. He’s done a really good job in trying to get consistency out of [himself].”

With Davis sidelined, Lane’s role suddenly gets a lot bigger. Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will be counting on Lane to show up big. Other than Lane, the group is stacked. Isaiah Ward (a combined 17-game starter), Zach Durfee (a big name returning from injury), veteran Deshawn Lynch, and Arizona transfer Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei are all jockeying for time. So, Lane is no longer just a body in the rotation. He’s ready for his shot at being a starter. With 21 games of experience, a reputation for showing up in big moments, and a spring that proved his leadership, this season is a real crossroads for Lane.

Russell Davis and Rahim Wright are out for 2025

Russell Davis II’s 2025 season is officially over before it even started. And it’s a tough pill for the Washington Huskies to swallow. The edge rusher, who had high hopes coming off an impressive late-2024 showing. This included a monster three-sack performance against UCLA that earned him co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. He was sidelined by a knee injury during offseason workouts.

In 2024, he missed the first eight games due to a lower-body injury but came back strong in the final outings. Yet just as he was about to build on that momentum, the new knee setback hit during summer workouts, forcing him to miss crucial prep time and now the full 2025 campaign. Davis’s physical tools and game-changing potential made him a critical piece of the Huskies’ pass rush. One of the team was counting on to pressure quarterbacks and disrupt offenses consistently. Alongside Russell Davis II missing the entire 2025 season, the Washington Huskies are also facing the loss of redshirt freshman safety Rahim Wright for the year.

Wright, who made a brief appearance in the 2024 season opener against Weber State, has suffered an undisclosed injury. And that will likely keep him sidelined for the whole season as well. This double hit on the defense is a tough blow for Jedd Fisch and his staff. And especially with Ryan Walters stepping in as the new defensive coordinator. This leaves Jedd Fisch’s squad needing to lean heavily on their depth and developing players to step up on both the defensive line and backfield.