Washington safety Alex McLaughlin named to Sporting News midseason All-America team

Washington safety Alex McLaughlin has been named to the Sporting News midseason All-America defense, which came out Wednesday. He landed the fifth defensive back spot. The two listed safety spots went to California's Kingston Lopa and UCLA's Tai'Shawn James. It is the biggest individual honor yet for a Washington secondary that has been under strain in Big Ten play.

As Roundtable Sports noted, McLaughlin's numbers back up the pick. Through seven games he has 48 tackles, 29 of them solo, along with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also has two interceptions, five more pass breakups and a forced fumble. All of those marks are up from his first season in Seattle. He had no sacks in 2025 and has already more than doubled last year's three tackles for loss. Washington is using him near the line as well as in coverage, and he has made plays against both the run and the pass.

McLaughlin is a fourth-year player who came to Washington from FCS program Northern Arizona before last season. He started all 13 games in 2025, ending with the 38-10 Los Angeles Bowl win over Boise State. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and the team's defensive MVP award. Roundtable Sports reported that he was the only member of the current starting secondary to start every game last year, and that he is one of two Washington upperclassmen who picked up midseason All-America recognition Wednesday. Under the NCAA's new five-year eligibility rules, he can return for a fifth season.

What it means for Nebraska

The Huskies are off this week. They return Saturday, October 31, at Nebraska, with a 5 p.m. PT kickoff at Memorial Stadium on BTN. Washington is 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten, and it has five games left to get the two wins it needs for a bowl.

The season splits into two halves. Washington won its first three against Washington State, Utah State and Eastern Washington, giving up 40 points in total. Then came Big Ten play and three straight losses: 27-24 to Minnesota, 25-21 at No. 18 USC and 41-24 to No. 20 Iowa. Two of those were decided by a combined seven points. The Huskies stopped the slide with a 38-26 win at Purdue going into the bye.

The defense is the main concern. Washington has allowed 159 points this season, about 22.7 per game. In the four conference games that figure rises to nearly 30, with every Big Ten opponent scoring at least 25. The offense has averaged close to 28 points a game, which has been enough to compete in most weeks but not to cover for a defense giving up big numbers.

That puts McLaughlin at the center of the trip to Lincoln. He is the most experienced player in a secondary that has struggled against Big Ten offenses, and his ability to make tackles behind the line and take the ball away is one of the few things that has held up all season. Facing a road game in a tough stadium with the margin for a bowl shrinking, Washington will lean on him heavily.