Portal priorities: Where does Washington need veteran help in 2026?

A Huskies primer before the portal opens Friday.

Unlike the past few seasons, college football’s 2026 transfer-portal activity will be contained within a single, two-week period beginning Jan. 2 and ending Jan. 16.

Already, 10 of Washington’s scholarship players have indicated their intent to enter the portal. Surely, more will do so in the coming days, as coach Jedd Fisch and his staff also prepare to backfill their roster with incoming transfers. Winter quarter at UW begins Jan. 5 — hence Fisch and athletic director Pat Chun’s support for a spring portal window — so the Huskies will want to finalize those deals as quickly as possible.

As of this very moment, I have the Huskies at 83 scholarships committed for the 2026 season. Fisch was non-committal when asked earlier this month if he wants UW to stay at 85; as a reminder, the program’s House settlement revenue-share allotment — presumed to be about $15 million — would be reduced by the cost of any “new” scholarships above the old limit of 85.

“We’re still working through all of the different avenues,” Fisch said Dec. 3.

Fisch also has said his strategy is generally to take transfers only at positions that lose players to the portal, though I would imagine there always will be exceptions. Obviously, the Huskies can’t backfill at present without going over 85 scholarships, but it’s also possible some number of outgoing transfers effectively already have been “replaced” on the scholarship roster by incoming freshmen, for example.

Where do the Huskies need veteran help, either in the form of a starter or experienced depth?

Here’s how I see UW’s portal priorities ahead of the next few weeks’ zaniness. Scholarships currently committed for 2026 — current players with remaining eligibility plus 2026 signees — are in parentheses.