"It's weird for one of your best players on defense and leading tackler to also be one of your most improved players," safeties coach Taylor Mays said of senior safety Alex McLaughlin's offseason. The three-time First Team All-American, who is entering his second year in his role with the Washington Huskies, did not hold back with his praise of the senior following Thursday's practice. McLaughlin, who transferred to Washington ahead of the 2025 season after two standout years at Northern Arizona, will enter his second season at Montlake after earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention last fall. After leading the Huskies with 94 tackles, McLaughlin has taken a major leap in his abilities as a vocal leader both on and off the field for Ryan Walters' defense. "I really like where he's at right now," Mays told the media on Thursday.
With fellow safety Makell Esteen and cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock all leaving the program after 2025, McLaughlin has stepped into a leadership role in the secondary as one of its best and most experienced players. This fall, Washington features a trio of young safeties in Rylon Dillard-Allen, Gavin Day, and Rahim Wright II, presenting McLaughlin with an opportunity to be a calming veteran presence on the back end of the defense. According to his position coach, that's an opportunity that he's already taken advantage of. "He's been awesome," Mays said. "I like where he's at right now in training camp, meaning I like the way that he's moving. I like the way that he's communicating with the other guys on defense. I like the speed that he's playing at, his progressions that he's making on the field. He's a guy that doesn't really like to talk, but he's kind of forced himself out of that quiet role, and it's been a little bit uncomfortable for him, but he's forced himself to have to be a leader. And he doesn't like to talk, so when he does talk, the guys definitely listen." With the defense aiming to combine veterans with young talent scattered throughout, McLaughlin's leadership raises the ceiling of what Ryan Walters' unit is capable of in 2026. This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football's Taylor Mays Praises Leadership of Veteran Safety