Take a Number, Demond Williams Jr. Retraces His Past

Less than three months after he considered wearing a different jersey color, say trading in his University of Washington purple for likely a different tint at LSU, Demond Williams Jr. settled for a different number.

The junior quarterback showed up for the first spring practice wearing No. 1 rather than his usual 2, claiming a digit he wore as a young kid and one he inherited from departed running back Jonah Coleman.

It looked like a good fit.

"I like how it feels," Williams said.

Jersey No. 1 has a long and storied history at the UW, previously worn by Warren Moon, who led the Huskies to a 1978 Rose Bowl win over Michigan in that shirt, became an NFL Hall of Fame inductee and ironically attended Tuesday's practice.

Others who have flourished in it include wide receiver Rome Odunze, who became an All-America selection and first-round draft pick in 2023, and tight end Hunter Bryant, who was a 2019 All-Pac-12 choice and likewise was at Tuesday's practice as the team pastor.

Yet others who have dressed in No. 1 for the Huskies have included the following NFL-bound players in kicker Mike Langford, running back Chris Polk, cornerbacks Charles Mincy and Byron Murphy, and wide receivers John Ross and Reggie Williams.

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

Demond Williams Jr.'s wardrobe change was in the works since the LA Bowl, which no longer exists, with the signal-caller swapping numbers with Coleman for the final practice leading up to the postseason game against Boise State, as is program tradition.

Williams explained how as a young kid he always wore No. 1, both in grade school and middle school, including for the youth football team coached by his dad.

However, he got away from it when he entered Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, and someone else had it.

At the UW, once Coleman arrived from Arizona with the Jedd Fisch coaching staff, he staked a claim to No. 1, which was new for him at the college level. Coleman sported No. 3 in his final season in Tucson.

Fisch smiled at the mention of jersey swapping among his players and explained how it's decided who wears what.

Demond Williams Jr. energetically has an Apple Cup moment. | Dave Sizer photo

Fisch said either seniority or the amount of reps a player draws on the field is usually the measuring stick for determining who wears what number on his teams.

"Whatever number they figure out they want to wear, as long as it's available, I'm usually pretty good about it," the coach said. "Wherever they're the most comfortable."

As for Williams, he never lost sight of the digit. He wore No. 9 in high school. He settled for No. 2 at the UW for two season and gladly turned it over to his leading receiver, Dezmen Roebuck, who no doubt couldn't wait to rid himself of No. 81.

"When I came here, I always wanted to wear 1 and I wore 1 when I was a kid," Williams said. "When the opportunity came open, i just decided to do it."

Just don't call him Jonah.