The Washington Huskies have been hard at-work most of this offseason in the transfer portal, especially on the defensive line front.

With all the turmoil that comes with modern college athletics, especially when it comes to player rosters, coaching staffs have been almost equally as chaotic recently.

Luckily for Washington, the team's top defensive coach will likely remain on the staff for the next several years.

The Huskies and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters agreed on a contract extension keeping him in Montlake through 2027. The new deal will give Walters a base salary of $450,000 with $1.5 million in additional compensation and $150,000 in performance incentives.

The new contract will include a buyout of $1 million if he takes another job before Jan. 31, 2027; $500,000 if he gets hired elsewhere after that date and a $200,000 buyout for each game he doesn't coach if he's hired before a Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff game.

Walters was hired by Washington ahead of the 2025 season after two seasons as the head coach of Purdue. He posted a 5-19 overall record as a head coach before he was fired and took over as the DC of the Huskies.

According to the latest contract terms, the university reserves the right to terminate Walters' deal if head coach Jedd Fisch takes a new job elsewhere.

In his first year heading Washington's defense, the team ranked fifth in scoring defense (18.7 points per game), 11th in pass defense (211.3 yards per game), third in rushing defense (100.1 rushing yards per game) and third in turnovers per game (1.5).

The Huskies defense allowed more than 24 points just twice this past season: a 42-25 win against Illinois on Oct. 25 and a 26-14 loss to Oregon on Nov. 29.

Walters was able to reach those aforementioned marks with his defense despite having just three All-Big Ten honorable mention players: cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock and safety Alex McLaughlin.

Prysock had 48 total tackles (29 solo), one interception and seven passes defended this past season.

Davis had 20 total tackles (16 solo), two interceptions and four passes defended.

McLaughlin had 94 total tackles (62 solo), two picks (including a pick-six), a fumble recovery and six passes defended.

The team improved from 6-7 in 2024 to 9-4 this past season and Walters' defense played a large reason why. Now the program and the defense will look to continue to improve in 2026.

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