UW freshman Zaydrius Rainey-Sale making an impact after delayed debut
Washington linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale hits Illinois receiver Hank Beatty just as the ball gets there, keeping it aloft in time for Tacario Davis to make the interception in the third quarter. The 23rd-ranked Illinois... (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Zaydrius Rainey-Sale didn’t come to UW to watch from the sidelines.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound true freshman linebacker had opportunities to go anywhere. He was the highest-rated prospect in the state during the 2025 recruiting cycle. A four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, who held offers from programs in each of the Power Four conferences.
Rainey-Sale (pronounced Sah-LAY) chose the Huskies, in large part because of coach Jedd Fisch’s reputation for playing true freshmen. Playing close to his family and community in Tacoma, of course, was a bonus. But redshirting was never part of his plan.
“I knew I wasn’t meant to be on the sideline,” Rainey-Sale said Tuesday. “I felt like I was eager.”
Football, however, forced Rainey-Sale to be patient. On Nov. 1, 2024, near the end of his final season at Bethel High, the prodigious linebacker suffered a season-ending knee injury during a game against Curtis High. It kept Rainey-Sale out until Oct. 10, when he made his long-awaited college football debut for UW during its 38-19 win against Rutgers. Nearly a month later, he has emerged as a key part of UW’s linebacker rotation.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him,” UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. “I’m happy he’s here. He’s going to have a great career here.”
Walters was aware of Rainey-Sale before taking the job at UW. The defensive coordinator knew about his pedigree at Bethel and his status as one of the West Coast’s top linebacker recruits. And Walters said he was immediately impressed by Rainey-Sale’s Big Ten frame from the moment the true freshman enrolled at Washington in January, despite being limited to rehabilitation work during winter conditioning and spring practices.
But Walters also had to focus on installing his defense and evaluating the talent immediately available to him. So he didn’t have time to consider how the prodigious freshman might fit or whether he’d be able to be an immediate contributor.
Then, Rainey-Sale was cleared to run. And as he got closer to returning, Walters began to see a world of possibilities.
“He’s twitched up,” Walters said. “He can really run. He can really change direction. But as far as evaluating whether or not he was going to help us, that didn’t really come until he was cleared to play and put pads on. You put him out there in 11-on-11 situations and 7-on-7 and start seeing him compete and the way he goes about his business.”
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Rainey-Sale’s recovery process was surprisingly fast. His mother, Tanya Sale, heaped praise on Washington’s training staff for coming up with a good treatment plan. She also said the coaching staff constantly reassured her that her son wasn’t going to lose his place or fall out of their plans after suffering his season-ending injury so late during his final season of high school.
“I felt relief, because at the end of the day he’s my baby,” Sale said. “I worry about anything that has to do with my kids. So it’s a big thing that I put my trust in their hands that they will take care of him. And they have. I thank them for that.”
Away from the football field because of his injury, Rainey-Sale was able to adjust to life as a college student-athlete, his mother said. He’s still just 17 years old and won’t celebrate his 18th birthday until Nov. 11, and Sale added it was a good opportunity to learn how to balance life, practice and school before becoming a key contributor on the team.
Rainey-Sale said he was initially targeting a Sept. 27 return against No. 1 Ohio State before eventually making his debut against Rutgers two weeks later. Watching her son overcome the injury, too, made his UW debut even sweeter, Sale said.
“Seeing him out on the field was a dream come true,” Sale said. “Just watching him play the sport he loves and just coming back.”
Since Rainey-Sale’s return, Walters said he’s been particularly impressed by the true freshman’s processing and retention skills as the defensive coaching staff has bombarded him with information. The defensive coordinator added Rainey-Sale’s ability to recall moments from film study and then execute the adjustments during practices and games is extremely advanced. Particularly for a young player who didn’t have a full spring or fall.
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Perhaps no moment epitomized Rainey-Sale’s processing ability like the hit he made against wide receiver Hank Beatty that led directly to senior cornerback Tacario Davis’ interception during UW’s 42-25 win against Illinois on Oct. 25.
Walters said the play was called to get Rainey-Sale underneath Beatty’s route, and the young linebacker said he recognized Illinois’ condensed bunch formation and knew he’d end up between two routes. Considering the down and distance, Rainey-Sale said he simply watched quarterback Luke Altmyer’s eyes and waited for him to lock onto Beatty, running the deeper route behind him.
Rainey-Sale timed it perfectly, arriving to jar the ball out of Beatty’s hands and into the awaiting arms of Davis for UW’s second interception of the game.
“He’s going to be,” Walters said, “a really good player for us.”
Through three games, Rainey-Sale has four tackles and two pass breakups — including a pass he dropped that Altmyer threw directly at him. His return from injury has been a massive boon for the Huskies (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten), whose linebacker corps was looking dangerously thin following junior Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah’s season-ending injury suffered during the Apple Cup against Washington State and senior Jacob Manu’s efforts to use his redshirt this season to maintain eligibility for 2026.
And he’ll likely be called upon again versus Wisconsin. Manu can only play one more game this season — likely Washington’s regular-season finale against No. 9 Oregon — meaning Rainey-Sale, sophomore Deven Bryant and junior Xe’ree Alexander will likely play a majority of the linebacker snaps against the Badgers (2-6, 0-5).
That’s fine for Rainey-Sale. After all, he just wants to play.
“I was just hungry,” he said, “to come back.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.