Jedd Fisch knew that he needed to retool Washington’s linebackers for the 2025 season in order to boost the Huskies’ physicality ahead of their second season in the Big Ten. After losing three players at the position to graduation and two to the transfer portal, position coach Robert Bala and the rest of Washington’s coaching staff hit the portal hard for reinforcements, and have now brought in three linebackers following the addition of former Washington State Cougars standout Taariq Al-Uqdah on Thursday.
Al-Uqdah, who also goes by Buddah, was one of coach Jake Dickert’s best defenders and most vocal leaders in 2024. He made plays all season long, leading the Cougars with 76 tackles and 3 forced fumbles.
The 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker also finished second on the team with 3 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, recovered 4 fumbles, and notched 2 pass breakups. Now with the Huskies, he’ll be an important piece in filling the void left by 2024 starters Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala.
With two years of eligibility remaining, Al-Uqdah should be expected to slot in next to Arizona transfer Jacob Manu as a starter, with UCF transfer Xe’ree Alexander filling out the top of the rotation.
Behind them, Bala has plenty of talent to coach up and utilize how he sees fit, including four-star freshmen Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and Jonathan Epperson, three-star Donovan Robinson, and young players Deven Bryant and Hayden Moore.