Washington’s Top Defensive Players on Signing Day

For the second season in a row, Washington has signed the top player from the state of Washington. In last year’s class, it was Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, a former four-star who got healthy in the back half of the 2025 season.  He made an immediate impact on the linebacker group. He finished the regular season with 19 tackles and an interception in seven games played. This year, Derek Colman-Brusa is the top player from the state, and he has inked with the Huskies.

Washington’s Top Defenders on Signing Day

EDGE Derek Colman-Brusa

Colman-Brusa is a four-star EDGE rusher who ranks inside the top 20 at his position nationally. The Kennedy Catholic High School defender has a variety of traits that make him one of the top players in the country. At the EDGE, he exhibits great quickness and closing speed. Colman-Brusa can run past blockers and chase down skill position players in the pocket or on the run to the outside. His length at 6’-5” allows him to create separation with blockers and make tackles with a large radius. Colman-Brusa also out-physicals blockers by bull-rushing through them and causing problems in the backfield instantly. The in-state prospect has the mobility, strength, and speed for an ideal EDGE rusher at the next level.

Defensive Lineman JD Hill

Washington’s most recent commit was JD Hill, and he made his commitment official by signing with the Huskies on Wednesday. Hill committed on November 20th as a four-star and top 20 defensive lineman in the nation. The 6’-2” and 275-pound defensive tackle recorded 99 tackles through 10 games of his senior season at Mission Viejo High School. Hill also notched 13 and two forced fumbles in 2025. His junior season was just as productive, registering 90 tackles, 29.5 for loss, and 16.5 sacks on the year. Hill’s final two schools came down to Washington and West Virginia, and he chose the Huskies this fall.

DL Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais

Staying along the defensive line, Washington also added four-star Tufanua Ionatana “T.I.” Umu-Cais. The interior defensive lineman is out of Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado, and is the third-ranked player in the state. Umu-Cais is listed at 6’-3” and 310 pounds and committed to the Huskies in July of this year over North Carolina, Oklahoma, Colorado, and UCLA, who were in his final five. According to MaxPreps, Umu-Cais tallied 90 total tackles his senior season for Cherry Creek, including 15 for loss. Constructing the trenches to Big Ten-caliber standards is the priority for this staff, and Umu-Cais projects to meet that classification. He plays with power on the interior and is physical enough to handle double-team blocks and take up space in run lanes. According to 247Sports, Umu-Cais is one of three four-stars that the Huskies have signed along the defensive line in this class.