While Washington fans were buzzing over the return of Demond Williams Jr., head coach Jedd Fisch quietly secured another transfer portal addition: cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, who originally played under Fisch at Arizona. Karnley could immediately bolster Washington’s thin secondary.
The 6-foot-3, 184-pound Karnley, from Antioch, California, was a three-star recruit in the 2023 class with 10 FBS offers. He initially committed to Fisch and the Arizona Wildcats in December 2022. After redshirting in 2023, Karnley started six games for an Arizona team without Fisch in 2024, tallying 16 tackles and five passes defended.
Karnley transferred to Miami in December 2024 for a short spring semester before moving to Virginia in April 2025. At Virginia, he started every game, finishing with 26 tackles, one interception, and eight passes defended. Despite early struggles with tackling, he steadily improved over the season, earning a three-star rating and a transfer grade of 87 from 247Sports when entering the portal.
Cornerback is a position of need for Washington, as last year’s starters, Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock, are headed to the NFL Draft. Major contributor Leroy Bryant has also entered the portal. That leaves Dylan Robinson, who as a true sophomore in 2026 was the only other Husky cornerback with significant playing time last season, finishing with 16 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and one pass defended.
With Karnley and Robinson, Washington could field two 6-foot-3 cornerbacks, a pairing that could cause trouble for opposing offenses. However, Fisch may still explore additional portal options to add depth to the position as offseason moves continue.
