All Lines Are Open Between Fisch and Husky QB

At 9 p.m. last Sunday night, Jedd Fisch's phone rang.

The University of Washington football coach was likely at home in Seattle's eastside suburbs.

It was Demond Williams Jr. on the other end.

No, he wasn't in trouble or leaving again.

The quarterback simply had urgent questions about the play-call sheet that couldn't wait, and, in spite of the late hour, he felt comfortable enough to call up the Husky leader, as Fisch did in making himself available to him.

Where in January everything looked totally disconnected between the QB and the team, with headlines raging that Williams was leaving the Huskies for what was believed to be LSU, the third-year quarterback and Fisch, a third-year UW coach, appear as close as can be.

"When you have those type of communications, maybe it would go to someone else last year or year before," Fisch said. "I think those conversations are really beneficial."

Since the quarterback briefly weighed his options, though he never officially entered the transfer portal, the Huskies have made moves to strengthen the bond between team and player.

The UW and Jimmie Dougherty, the previous offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, went in different directions, though no one has ever formally used the word fired or quit to describe what happened.

There simply was a parting of the ways, with only a partial replacement sought out to replace him.

Jedd Fisch met with media members after the first fall scrimmage. | Dan Rale

While Fisch was more emphatic about his lead role in running the offense rather than seek out another figurehead OC, he promoted former NFL quarterback JP Losman from analyst to the Huskies quarterback coach, and called it good.

"I think the relationship is getting stronger with JP," the head coach said. "I think that relationship has really blossmed to a point there's a huge trust in terms of what he's asking him to do."

It appears more clearly defined roles and a younger approach were needed to smooth out the Huskies' quarterback situation and make Williams more comfortable in Montlake.

Demond Williams Jr. seems upbeat and in a very good place this fall. | Dan Rale

Meantime, Fisch has increased his player interaction to take care of the team's biggest asset.

It's fairly obvious now if there's pressure on anyone to step up in the coming season and make things happen, it's on the coach to have Williams at optimum performance levels for every game.

"I was never really not involved," Fisch said. "But the ability to just have one less layer in the communication and to be able to spend a little more time one on one with Demond has really been what I've really enjoyed and appreciated."

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