Commentary: How good does Washington need Demond Williams Jr. to be to contend in Big Ten?
SEATTLE – There’s a Demond Williams Jr. debate to be had at Washington.
It’s not how good the sophomore quarterback can be.
It’s how good he has to be for the Huskies to contend.
Granted, the first part is more tantalizing. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound rocket was a revelation as a true freshman in 2024, wrenching the starting job away from senior Will Rogers. In his first two college starts – against No. 1 Oregon in Eugene, then Louisville in the Sun Bowl, no less – Williams completed 82.7% of his passes, throwing for 575 yards with six total touchdowns and one interception.
The lasting image was an indelible Sun Bowl swivel, in which Williams spun out of a Cardinals sack and uncorked an impossible pass through pressure to wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter for a 33-yard gain.
After which, senior wideout Giles Jackson – who knows what a Heisman Trophy finalist looks like – sat beside Williams and said: “I think this dude right here is going to be great. Great. Literally, I think he has a chance to win the Heisman.”
UW coach Jedd Fisch doubled down, adding: “I couldn’t be luckier to have a chance to coach him. He came with us (from Arizona), and we’re going to do everything we can to get him to New York City (for the Heisman Trophy ceremony) one day. We’re going to do everything we can to get him the first-round pick.”
No pressure, though.
Against Oregon and Louisville, Williams played like a raw freshman with a prolific future.
But guess what?
Washington lost both games.
That’s the point. For Williams, how good is good enough?
That depends on whether Washington (6-7) actually improved its offensive and defensive lines, which were enthusiastically exposed in 2024. The Huskies ranked last in the 18-team Big Ten in sacks allowed (39) and 15th in both run defense (161.9 yards allowed per game) and opponent yards per carry (4.56). While UW added significant depth to its trenches via both the prep ranks and the transfer portal, it’s unclear if quality will accompany quantity.
It also depends on if wide receivers Omari Evans and Rashid Williams can be consistent targets beside Denzel Boston. And if an undersized linebacker corps can overcome the losses of Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala. And if transfer defensive backs Tacario Davis, CJ Christian and Alex McLaughlin can solidify the secondary. And if new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters can elevate a unit with questionable top-end talent.
Following Friday’s “Dawgs After Dark” spring game, Fisch declared: “In terms of personnel, we got a good team. We’re big. We’re strong. We’re fast.”
But are they Penn State big? Ohio State strong? Oregon fast?
Legitimate Big Ten contender good?
Consider me unconvinced.
This is a team with precious little proven top-end talent. It had a single player drafted last month (Bruener in the seventh round), and a single player crack the All-Big-Ten teams (third-team linebacker Bruener) in 2024.
Who are UW’s most likely draftees this time next spring? Maybe senior running back Jonah Coleman, who crossed the 1,000-yard mark behind a lacking line last fall. Maybe Davis, if he bounces back from a relatively underwhelming season at Arizona in 2024. Maybe Boston (if he develops into a true No. 1 target) or edge Zach Durfee (if he stays healthy) or Kansas State transfer Carver Willis (if his left tackle transition goes smoothly). But that’s a mountain of maybes.
The Huskies have depth. Do they have dudes? There’s a difference.
Which brings us back to Williams, a dude-in-development. He looked more like a true sophomore than an established star in Friday’s spring scrimmage, completing 5 of 8 passes for 41 yards.
“The biggest strides he’s made is his ability to talk the game,” Fisch said afterward. “When I pulled out the iPad at halftime and we went through each play he knew every play call that was called before we got to it. So, when you can look at an iPad and say, ‘Oh, this is when we called Dolphin Right Pond, and the Z has an over (route) here, and the X should have inside released,’ and you’re able to have those conversations, it tells me he’s really learning this offense inside and out. The more you know the offense, the better chance he has to be successful.
“He’s going to continue to grow. He’s only a sophomore. He’s only 19. So there’s going to be mistakes he’s going to make at times, and our goal is to coach them out of him the best we can and make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Williams is not perfect. He’s not a finished product. When asked Friday what Williams must do for Washington to win, offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said “making great decisions” three times in two sentences.
It’s unfair to ask the former four-star recruit to lift UW into the Big Ten’s top tier in 2025. It’s unfair to expect immediate excellence. It’s unfair to saddle the sophomore signal caller with a wheelbarrow of Heisman hope.
But here we are.
Here’s CBS Sports national college football analyst Josh Pate saying Williams “has real, real breakout quarterback potential. Like, star quarterback potential. Maybe even a household name by year’s end.” Here’s ESPN commentator Greg McElroy saying “you’ve got to feel pretty good for the possibility of a breakout campaign for Williams in his second year.” And here’s Jackson and Fisch, post-Sun Bowl, saying what they said.
Ideally, UW will surround Williams with an improved supporting cast, with capable playmakers and competent protection. Ideally, Walters’ productive defense will alleviate pressure. Ideally, Williams will be a complementary piece, not the whole puzzle. Ideally, he won’t have to wear a cape.
The question isn’t whether Williams is talented enough to fulfill Fisch’s vision a year or two from now. It’s whether Washington is talented enough to win while we wait.