Huskies Looking to Solidify Backup Quarterback Behind Demond Williams Jr.
SEATTLE, Wash. — Demond Williams Jr. looked a bit more like a barely 19-year old sophomore college quarterback on Thursday.
Not every day of Washington Huskies spring football is going to be perfect for any quarterback, and there were a few doldrums for Williams in 7-on-7 and full team drills during Washington’s second day of practice.
“I know that he’s got some plays today that he’s going to want back — and he’s going to go in there and watch the film and get better from it — but it’s a process,” said Huskies first-year offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty after the second practice of the spring on Thursday. “But I know he’s loving it, and he’s always going to be prepared. He’s always going to be a kid that I never worry about, what he does behind the scenes.”
The Huskies practiced Thursday without pads on a sunny but somewhat windy outdoor field adjacent to Husky Stadium. They’re expected to be in full pads on Saturday now that the two unpadded practices required by the NCAA are behind them. The offense seemed to have the edge Tuesday, but the defense responded on Thursday with two interceptions. Williams showed a strong arm, going deep but slightly overthrowing receivers on a couple of occasions. Day 2, however, is not one to be concerned about completion percentage.
In 2024, Williams began college before he was old enough to vote. This year, one practice with a couple of rough patches will not quell any enthusiasm from Williams, Dougherty, or head coach Jedd Fisch. He’s ready to take on the role as leader of the offense after spending much of last year learning behind sixth-year senior starter Will Rogers.
“I’d say extremely confident (compared to last spring) and just executing the game plan that I’ve had a year to go over and really take command of the offense,” Williams said.
Williams, who’s added about 18 pounds of muscle to get to 198 pounds, hits Shake Shack a little more often — for the record, his typical order is a double cheeseburger, fries, vanilla shake, and a Sunset Lemonade — in an effort to work his way up to his fall goal of 205. The extra pounds have not slowed Williams. Though quarterbacks are not to be touched during practice, Williams has shown he’ll be tough to catch when he decides to tuck and run in a game.
It’s a much different quarterback room than last year. Williams is the guy, with fifth-year senior transfer Kai Horton looking to hold off junior transfer Shea Kuykendall and true freshmen Dash Beierly and Kini McMillan for the backup role.
“Demond is the clear-cut starter this year, so we know he’s getting all one (first-team) reps,” said Dougherty, who was promoted from passing game coordinator to OC this offseason. “And a big part of spring is us finding our backup — who that guy’s going to be. It’s a lot of new faces, guys that haven’t been here. … So a lot of learning going on out there, a lot of processing going on, but it’s our job to make sure those guys are all getting those reps, because that’s how you learn.”
One person not quite ready to completely name Williams the starter is Horton, who transferred from Tulane after attempting 125 passes over four seasons. Horton came to Washington after considering offers from Mississippi and Texas State, in part because he liked the connections Fisch has to the NFL.
“I was told I’d have a chance to come here and compete, have a chance to get better, have a chance to play at the next level,” said Horton, listed at 6-4, 220 pounds. “I love everything that they do — the offensive system that they got in. Coach Fisch has a lot of connections, and at the end of the day, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
Though the battle for backup remains open, according to Fish and Dougherty, Horton appeared to get the majority of second team reps in most of the team sessions on Thursday. Horton likes the offense so far, including the similarities to NFL systems that are more complex than what he saw at Tulane.
“Coach Fisch throws a lot at you and wants you to able to read a defense fully,” Horton said. “… So that was one of the main factors of coming here, is that just the way he’s able to coach us as quarterbacks and help us understand what it takes to get to the next level.”
Practice Schedule: The Dawgs will put on pads for Saturday’s practice, which is open at noon for fans to attend. Click here for the full spring schedule.
Leroy Bryant working way into lineup: While Arizona transfer Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock seem penciled in as starters at cornerback, Bryant has looked strong playing in outside and nickel roles while Prysock is limited while recovering from offseason “clean-up” surgery. Thursday, Bryant read a Horton pass intended for Tuesday’s practice star — Penn State transfer receiver Omari Evans — and easily picked it off for what might have been a pick-six in a game situation. Prysock appears to be moving around very well and seems headed toward more involvement later in spring.
Offensive line same as Tuesday: Though many practices remain before UW hosts Colorado State on Aug. 30, this was the second in a row that mostly featured a first-team lineup of left tackle Carver Willis, left guard Paki Finau, center Landen Hatchett, right guard Zach Henning and right tackle Drew Azzopardi. Henning has been the surprise so far, as he’s received more time with the first team than Geirean Hatchett, who returned to UW after a season at Oklahoma. Hatchett has worked as the second team center and rotated in a few times with the first team at guard in place of Henning. Max McCree, a starter at left tackle for part of last season, has worked exclusively with the second team thus far.
