Examining The Impact Of Elijah Brown Joining UW

Ever so briefly this offseason, the returning game-day quarterback experience for the University of Washington football team consisted of three plays at the LA Bowl, all handoffs -- two for Kini McMillan and one for Dash Beierly.

Husky starter Demond Williams Jr. then ended his brief and ill-advised dalliance with the transfer portal and returned to the roster, making things whole again.

Adding to this position intrigue, former Stanford signal-caller Elijah Brown next signed on with the UW, presumably becoming Williams' back-up QB, yet with his presence potentially a lightning rod for roster change.

In seven weeks, the Huskies will open spring football practice with five scholarship quarterbacks jockeying for snaps, when adding incoming freshman Derek Zammit from New Jersey into the mix, giving them more signal-callers than they know what to do with.

Yet it's hard to believe, in this age of non-stop and unabated player movement, all five will still be around heading into next season.

Brown, who's not on campus yer, will join the Huskies following two seasons at Stanford, where he appeared in nine games and started four times. With a redshirt in hand from 2024, he has three years of college eligibility remaining.

He brings modest career passing totals of 102 for 175 for 1,103 yards and 6 touchdowns with 5 interceptions.

"We're excited that he's joining us and giving us more competition in the room," Fisch said. "I think it will elevate Demond's game. I think it will elevate Derek's game and Kini and Dash. I think all of those guys should get better the more competition we bring in."

Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown (2) drops back to pass against California. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Either that or one or more of them will feel somewhat compromised by having so many scholarship players in line all at once, with Husky quarterback snaps coming at a premium.

Beierly, for instance, replaced Brown at the Mater Dei High School powerhouse in Southern California and now he's basically behind Brown in the UW pecking order, which likely will deter any rapid advancement up the depth chart.

The same goes for McMillan, who was probably thinking he would be competing for the back-up job along with Beierly and Zammit, and now there's another guy in the way.

Fisch and his staff can't be faulted for wanting position insurance should Williams go down and be unable to play at any point next season.

Yet those coaches still have to massage quarterback egos, which could make things complicated.

"We always think there's value to bringing in somebody who has gone through it, that has played in the college game," Fisch said.

He'll now see if Brown's presence has any bearing on the patience of his younger quarterbacks.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: