Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. ‘more at home’ in year 2 as Huskies look to climb Big Ten ladder

SEATTLE — Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. makes being a quarterback look awfully easy. As a true freshman, Williams threw for 575 yards and five touchdowns in two starts against the vaunted Oregon and Louisville defenses. 

But while football comes so naturally, it’s easy to forget just how young he is. Williams was only 17 years old when he first arrived in Seattle in January 2024. It was a completely new experience to be far away from home, and a lonely one. So in January 2025, weeks after his breakout start in the Sun Bowl, he got a dog: a Rottweiler named Deuce. 

“[It was] just having company,” Williams said. “I moved into a new place and just having company made it feel more at home.” 

Williams’ original plan was to play for Jedd Fisch only 100 miles from home in Tucson, Arizona. He enrolled at the program in January 2024. When Fisch, a former NFL quarterback coach, left to replace Kalen DeBoer at the University of Washington, Williams decided to commit to the staff and follow him up north. 

After knowing so many players at Arizona from playing against them in high school, Washington was a blank slate. Getting Deuce allowed him to feel closer to himself and closer to home. Training the 10-month-old dog has allowed him to feel closer to himself. 

“It was definitely different: Different environment, different area, different weather, stuff like that,” Williams said. “But I would say it kind of caters to my personality, kind of chill and laid back… I didn’t know anybody on the team, so it was really about working and trying to just prove myself to the other guys.” 

Over the past year, the Chandler, Arizona, native has set himself apart as one of the breakout stars of college football. In the Sun Bowl, Williams was sensational. He completed a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3:42 to erase a 14-point lead and set up a potential game-winning two-point conversion. The play fell short, but he still finished with an astonishing 374 yards, passing, 48 yards rushing and five total touchdowns. 

“He’s always had a great feel for the game, being able to read the defense and know where everybody is on the field, but I think he’s just getting better and better growing in that with experience,” offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said. “I think he’s very confident, very comfortable right now, so we’ve just got to keep that going every single day.” 

Williams was heralded for his speed, but his passing has already been a major asset. If he had been eligible, he would have edged Kurtis Rourke and Will Howar for the highest passer rating in the Big Ten. His 78.1% completion percentage — and mark north of 80% in his two starts against strong foes — puts him in truly elite territory. Among players with at least 150 dropbacks per Pro Football Focus, Williams ranks No. 1 nationally in adjusted completion percentage (83.7%) and top 12 in both best big-time throw rate and lowest in turnover worthy play rate. 

But after an offseason of working on his craft, the Washington staff feels Williams has another significant leap left in him. Fisch has called him the future face of the program and claimed he can be an elite player in the Big Ten. With a long history around quarterbacks, he knows what the greats look like. 

Williams, now 19, is still one of the youngest star quarterbacks in college football. Much is expected of him as Washington tries to get back to Big Ten contention after a rebuilding 6-7 season. But those around the program know, when he gets comfortable, Williams can be unstoppable. 

“You feel his leadership, you feel his confidence,” Dougherty said. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing that’s showed up so far, just his mastery of what we’re trying to get done.”