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Inside The Huskies

Maxwell Award Watch List Has Become Husky QB Tradition

Demond Williams Jr. is the latest UW signal-caller to rate this consideration.
Dan Raley|
Demond Williams Jr. has traded in his No. 2 for 1, taking Jonah Coleman's former jersey digit.
Demond Williams Jr. has traded in his No. 2 for 1, taking Jonah Coleman's former jersey digit. | Dave Sizer photo

Maintaining a recent tradition for University of Washington quarterbacks, Demond Williams Jr. has been named to the Maxwell Award watch list -- the fifth of the last six Huskies behind center to rate this consideration.

On Monday, Williams, a 5-foot-11, 204-pound junior from Chandler, Arizona, was one of 81 players singled out for this bauble that signifies the nation's top player at his position.

His inclusion comes three years after Michael Penix Jr. became the first Husky to win this reward -- and only one now in 89 years -- while leading his team to a 14-1 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff championship game.

The Huskies' Jake Browning was named to the Maxwell watch list in 2016, 2017 and 2018, becoming a semifinalist in the first year.

Jacob Eason earned watch list consideration at both Georgia in 2017 and at the UW in 2019.

Will Rogers likewise turned up on the list for Mississippi State in 2023 and again for the Huskies in 2024.

The only Husky starting quarterback over the past decade to not merit Maxwell attention was Dylan Morris in 2020 and 2021.

The Big Ten has 17 different quarterbacks currently up for this accolade among its 18 member schools.

Williams slowly has been picking up more and more quarterback attention as fall camp approaches.

Sports Illustrated recently named him as the nation's seventh-best player at his position. College Football Report has him at No. 18.

Williams comes off a productive sophomore season in which he completed 246 of 354 passes for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions, for a 9-4 UW team.

The speedster also rushed 143 times for 611 yards and 6 scores.

Xe'ree Alexander and Demond Williams Jr. show off their MVP awards at the LA Bowl.
Xe'ree Alexander and Demond Williams Jr. show off their MVP awards at the LA Bowl. | Dave Sizer photo

Williams has started 15 consecutive games for the Huskies since taking over the job as a freshman from Rogers with two outings remaining in the 2024 season.

With a 4.4-second 40-yard dash time, he's now considered one of college football's top dual-threat playmakers. He might be the fastest QB at the Power 4 level, too.

Making $4 million this season in NIL money, he stands to be one of the highest-paid players at any position across college football.

After briefly considering the transfer portal this winter, Williams is now firmly locked in as a UW team leader. He attended Big Ten Media Days as one of three Huskies to represent the team in Chicago last week.

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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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