1 hr. ago
For the third consecutive year, a Washington Huskies linebacker has been recognized on the preseason Butkus Award watch list ahead of the 2026 college football season.
Xe'ree Alexander, a senior who joined Jedd Fisch's program last offseason through the transfer portal after one season at Central Florida, was one of 51 players on the annual watch list after fellow senior Buddah Al-Uqdah found himself on the same list in 2025.
The younger brother of former Husky wide receiver Lonyatta "Junior" Alexander made an immediate impact in his first season on Montlake last fall. An Auburn, Washington native, Alexander made five starts and played in all 13 games for first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, and finished second on the team in tackles (70) and tackles for loss (5), both of which are career highs.
Dating back to 2024 with former UW linebacker Carson Bruener, Alexander and Al-Uqdah are the latest preseason honorees while ex-Husky standout Edefuan Ulofoshio played his way into being one of five finalists in 2023 despite not making the preseason watch list.
"I think—not only for X—but I think that speaks to the program and how he runs it," inside linebackers coach Brian Odom said before the start of fall camp when asked about the talented fourth-year linebacker electing to stay with the team despite having other veteran options around him.
#alexander #list #preseason #uqdah
Xe'ree Alexander, a senior who joined Jedd Fisch's program last offseason through the transfer portal after one season at Central Florida, was one of 51 players on the annual watch list after fellow senior Buddah Al-Uqdah found himself on the same list in 2025.
The younger brother of former Husky wide receiver Lonyatta "Junior" Alexander made an immediate impact in his first season on Montlake last fall. An Auburn, Washington native, Alexander made five starts and played in all 13 games for first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, and finished second on the team in tackles (70) and tackles for loss (5), both of which are career highs.
Dating back to 2024 with former UW linebacker Carson Bruener, Alexander and Al-Uqdah are the latest preseason honorees while ex-Husky standout Edefuan Ulofoshio played his way into being one of five finalists in 2023 despite not making the preseason watch list.
"I think—not only for X—but I think that speaks to the program and how he runs it," inside linebackers coach Brian Odom said before the start of fall camp when asked about the talented fourth-year linebacker electing to stay with the team despite having other veteran options around him.
#alexander #list #preseason #uqdah
2 days ago
One way or another, Washington Huskies second-year linebacker Donovan Robinson is going to play his way into a role this upcoming fall if he keeps up performing the same way he did on day six of training camp on Thursday.
Robinson, a 6-foot-2 and 225-pound redshirt freshman, had a pass breakup and made his presence felt throughout the day. The Chicago, Illinois native didn't appear in any games last season and comes into 2026 as one of several options as a backup linebacker behind the veteran trio of Jacob Manu, Xe'ree Alexander, and Buddah Al-Uqdah, and sophomore Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.
At Loyola Academy, the former three-star defensive back turned linebacker made himself available as a dual kick and punt returner in addition to being a standout defender. Robinson recorded 71 total tackles, 9 pass breakups, 4 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and a sack over 26 games between his junior and senior years.
Huskies inside linebackers coach Brian Odom noted before camp that his unit has plenty of experience between its trio of seniors, in addition to Rainey-Sale, who combined to have 11 starts last season, while Al-Uqdah and Manu missed 17 games between them, but are fully healthy going into 2026.
Although it will be hard to crack the two-deep out of camp, Odom did note that there is a plan to use several combinations to keep players fresh and healthy throughout the Big Ten slate, which could pave the way for Robinson to find a role.
#robinson #linebacker #camp #odom
Robinson, a 6-foot-2 and 225-pound redshirt freshman, had a pass breakup and made his presence felt throughout the day. The Chicago, Illinois native didn't appear in any games last season and comes into 2026 as one of several options as a backup linebacker behind the veteran trio of Jacob Manu, Xe'ree Alexander, and Buddah Al-Uqdah, and sophomore Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.
At Loyola Academy, the former three-star defensive back turned linebacker made himself available as a dual kick and punt returner in addition to being a standout defender. Robinson recorded 71 total tackles, 9 pass breakups, 4 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and a sack over 26 games between his junior and senior years.
Huskies inside linebackers coach Brian Odom noted before camp that his unit has plenty of experience between its trio of seniors, in addition to Rainey-Sale, who combined to have 11 starts last season, while Al-Uqdah and Manu missed 17 games between them, but are fully healthy going into 2026.
Although it will be hard to crack the two-deep out of camp, Odom did note that there is a plan to use several combinations to keep players fresh and healthy throughout the Big Ten slate, which could pave the way for Robinson to find a role.
#robinson #linebacker #camp #odom
