Jalen Huskey, a Quince Orchard High School alumnus, was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 100 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the final selection of the third round.
Huskey, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound safety, spent the past two seasons at the University of Maryland after beginning his college career at Bowling Green from 2022 to 2023. A native of Frederick, he developed locally before graduating from Quince Orchard in Gaithersburg, continuing the pipeline of area talent reaching the professional level.
His 2025 season at Maryland cemented his status as an NFL prospect. Huskey earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media after playing in all 12 games with 11 starts. He was a key piece of a Terrapins defense that recorded its highest interception total since 2010. Huskey finished the season with four interceptions, tying for the team lead while also ranking among the top defensive backs in the conference and nationally. He had a particularly strong midseason stretch, recording three interceptions over a four-game span against Wisconsin, Washington, and UCLA.
In addition to his ball production, Huskey was one of Maryland’s most reliable tacklers, finishing second on the team with 72 total tackles, the sixth-most among Big Ten defensive backs. He also added three pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for loss. One of his standout performances came in Maryland’s win at Wisconsin, where he recorded a season-high nine tackles along with an interception.
Huskey’s impact went beyond the stat sheet. He was named Maryland’s Defensive Player of the Year at the team’s postseason awards banquet and was voted by his teammates as one of three permanent team captains. He also represented the program at Big Ten Media Days. Throughout the pre-draft process, Huskey continued to gain recognition, earning an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine and participating in the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was also named to the Senior Bowl Top 300 list.
