One of Many, Best UW Football Fall Camp Position Battle Will Be ...

These cornerbacks both come battled-tested from the 2023 season.

Elijah Jackson could be pushed hard for his UW cornerback starting job. / Skylar Lin Visuals

From the CFP national championship game loss to Michigan in January to the season opener coming fast against Weber State, the University of Washington football team is weighted down by the arduous task of replacing 20 of 22 starters.

Once Jedd Fisch opens fall camp in August, Husky position battles all across the board will keep everyone watching, forecasting and guessing how they might turn out.

Some will have fairly obvious outcomes, with Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers and Arizona transfer Jonah Coleman fully expected to take over the UW backfield as the No. 1 quarterback and running back, respectively.

Yet what stands to be the most competitive position tussle might not involve one of the 20 openings put forth -- rather an incumbent Husky starter finds himself in danger of getting unseated for his game-opening assignment by a determined challenger.

Elijah Jackson and Thaddeus Dixon go to your respective corners, listen for the bell, come out swinging and deflecting, and let the best man win.

An obvious question is why would Jackson, a 15-game starter last season for Kalen DeBoer's staff, have his starting role even be in question?

Wasn't he the guy who acrobatically saved a Sugar Bowl victory over Texas with his last-play, end-zone pass break-up heard all around New Orleans?

While new cornerbacks coach John Richardson in the spring marveled over Jackson's 40-inch vertical leap and big-play history, he proved to be even more familiar with Dixon after previously recruiting him.

As these two veteran corners get ready to go at it in fall camp, here's how the competition breaks down:

Jackson is 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds, a junior from Carson, California.

Dixon carries a 6-foot-1 and 186-pound frame as is a senior from Los Angeles.

Thaddeus Dixon shows up for spring practice carrying his shoes. / Skylar Lin Visuals

They are separated by seven pounds and 17 miles, the latter when considering their Southern California roots.

Jackson appeared as the first-teamer in every game in 2023, while Dixon started only the USC game, playing alongside Jackson that day.

For each player, it was their first opportunity as FBS players to put their skills on display in their shared hometown in front of friends and family.

Jackson finished last season with 61 tackles, 5 pass break-ups and 2 forced fumbles.

Dixon had fewer than half as many tackles with 26, but he had more PBUs with 7 and came up with something Jackson still awaits in his UW career -- an interception. Dixon got his pass theft in the Apple Cup against Washington State.

In April, Jackson was a No. 1 corner to begin spring ball while Dixon held that role when it ended.

The competition should be worth watching, especially if the UW ends up replacing 21, not 20, starters.

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