Sophomore signal-caller Demond Williams Jr. paced the Big Ten in an astonishing category
The Washington Huskies football team saw significant year-over-year improvement in its second season under head coach Jedd Fisch.
The Huskies finished the year 9-4 following a 38-10 win against the Boise State Broncos in the Los Angeles Bowl on Dec. 13. That was a three-win improvement from Fisch's first year at the helm of the program in 2024.
A large part of Washington's success was due to the contributions of first-round-caliber NFL talent, namely junior wide receiver Denzel Boston and senior running back Jonah Coleman.
The Huskies all benefited from the blocking contributions of All-Freshman guard John Mills and other young players.
Overseeing the balanced offense that featured young and veteran players alike was sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr.
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Williams entered this season as the presumptive starter for the first time in his career. He made appearances in every game in his and Fisch's first season in 2024 but was second on the depth chart behind veteran transfer Will Rogers.
Williams made a major impression in his first full year as the starting signal-caller and led the Big Ten in an incredible category.
Williams led the conference with 3,676 total yards.
Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 611 yards on the ground on 143 rushes (4.3 yards per carry) and six touchdowns. His passing yards were fourth in the Big Ten and his rushing yards ranked 16th among all players. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award twice this past season.
Williams is currently slated to have less weapons at his disposal next season. Coleman and Boston are NFL-bound and backup running back Adam Mohammed and freshman wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright both entered the transfer portal.
Williams and Washington will likely see a huge bolster in its running back and receiver room with incoming players from the 2026 recruiting class.
Currently, freshman receiver Dezmen Roebuck and freshman running back Jordan Washington are expected to step into starting and No. 1 roles. Roebuck finished the year with 42 receptions for 560 yards (13.3 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns. Washington ended the year with 233 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
Roebuck will likely be joined on the field by 2026 four-star wide receiver Jordan Clay and Washington will be joined in the RB room by four-star back Brian Bonner. The Huskies have two more four-star receivers in the class, Trez Davis and Mason James.
With another year of experience under his belt and the blue-chip talent of the aforementioned players, Williams could be due for another solid season his junior year.
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