Husky Roster Review: Time to Really Unleash Isaiah Ward on Edge

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 2:50 PM ET

Isaiah Ward came off the field during a Saturday spring practice, grimacing in pain while gingerly holding his right hand, and headed straight to a trainer.

Demonstrating his sway with the University of Washington football team, Ward immediately was surrounded on all sides by concerned teammates in fellow edge rusher Jacob Lane and defensive tackles Elinneus Davis and Logan Sagapolu.

Each one patted Ward on the back before he was led out of Husky Stadium in the direction of the training room.

At that moment, everyone recognized the 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior from Ontario, California, as not only a talented defender but as a valued team leader they couldn't afford to lose.

As it turned out, Ward recovered fairly quickly and returned to the next practice without any further issues.

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

This season, the goal for Jedd Fisch's coaching staff with Ward would be to get the maximum performance out of him.

In 2023, the pass rusher started 11 of the 13 games in which he played for Fisch at Arizona and he finished with 30 tackles and 4 sacks, and saved his best outing -- which included a game-changing sack and a forced fumble -- for the Alamo Bowl and a 38-24 victory over Oklahoma.

This past season, Ward saw his numbers dip slightly to six starts over 13 games and 28 tackles and 3 sacks. In this case, his nominal play was a next-to-the-last-play sack to close out a 27-17 victory over Michigan.

Ward, a nephew for NFL linebacker great Bobby Wagner and the younger brother of Husky linebacker Anthony Ward, similarly has pro football potential.

While long and elusive, he could stand to put on another 15 pounds or so to make himself NFL ready. He has two seasons in Montlake to turn himself a filled-out finished product.

ISAIAH WARD FILE

What he's done: Ward has played in 29 games combined at the UW and Arizona, and has 60 career tackles, with 12 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 3 pass break-ups and 2 forced fumbles. He plays in the most competitive position group for the Huskies, competing for time with Zach Durfee, Russell Davis II, Deshawn Lynch, Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei and Lane. The quest this season is to see who among these players can be the most disruptive into getting to the passer.

Starter or not: He has 17 starts for Fisch in Seattle and Tucson, and should add significantly to that total this coming season. With so many talented edge rushers on this team, Ward has no choice but to continue to improve to maintain his first-unit status.

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This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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