Inside The Huskies

Demond Williams Jr. Among Players Reaffirming UW Return

Teammates Drew Azzopardi and Elinneus Davis likewise posted their intentions for 2026.
Dan Raley|
Demond Williams Jr. looks for a receiver in the LA Bowl.
Demond Williams Jr. looks for a receiver in the LA Bowl. | Dave Sizer photo

On a day in which college football resembled an unruly New York subway train, with people pushing and shoving to get on and off, at least three University of Washington starters felt the need to counter the transfer portal by reaffirming their intentions to stay put in Montlake.

On Friday as the portal opened, junior quarterback Demond Williams, senior offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi and junior defensive tackle Elinneus Davis -- all starters -- either posted or their representation confirm they will be back with the Huskies.

This comes after upwards of a dozen of their teammates have opted to shop their talents around rather than return to a team that went 9-4, won the LA Bowl and is projected to take another step forward in 2026.

UW coach Jedd Fisch promised as much following the 38-10 win over Boise State at SoFi Stadium, pointing directly at Williams as the reason for optimism.

"I think our guys know that we have a great season coming ahead of us," Fisch said. "We've got a great team. They're led by an elite player. When you have an elite quarterback, you have an opportunity to win a lot of games."

ESPN reported that Williams had agreed to a new financial deal with the UW, though terms are never made public.

"I'd say I've grown as a leader throughout the season," Williams said moments after the LA Bowl. "I think if you asked all the guys and the coaches about halfway through the season I think there was a switch flipped in my head, where I was trying to turn the team into mine and continue to use my voice more."

As a sophomore, the UW signal-caller from Chandler, Arizona, finished as the Big Ten's total-offense leader with 3,676 yards, which were 410 more than his nearest challenger, Maryland quarterback Malik Washington, and left him ranked 21st overall nationally.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Azzopardi from Pacifica, California, returns as a 30-game starter at right tackle counting his time spent San Diego State and Washington combined, including 24 for the Huskies over two seasons.

He missed two games with a knee issue this past November, but finished strong by reclaiming his starting job for closing outings against Oregon and Boise State.

As a 6-foot-3, 317-pound sophomore from Moorhead, Minnesota, Davis became a Husky starter for the first time this past season by opening 10 games and playing in all 13.

He finished among his team's top 10 tacklers with 29, had a half sack and knocked down 2 passes.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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