UW Offense Really Comes Down to Turning Williams Loose

The Husky quarterback should double all of his rushing numbers from 2025.

Demond Williams Jr. appears to be meditating during fall camp. | Dave Sizer photo

On NFL roster cutdown day, former University of Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston was in Cleveland and running back Jonah Coleman in Denver, with their presence lending great encouragement to those respective fan bases.

Back in Seattle, people understood the show must go on without them. The yards and the points must come from other sources now.

While Kennesaw State transfer Christian Moss and second-year running back Quaid Carr could provide acceptable replacements for Boston and Coleman, the Husky offense will need added firepower if the team intends to compete with the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

Which means Jedd Fisch, the stand-in UW offensive coordinator who doubles as the head coach, will have to be at his best in turning dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr. loose as often and creatively as he possibly can.

In 2025, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Williams rushed 143 times for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns, and clearly was a problem for opposing defenses much of the time.

He had 10 runs of 20 yards or more, topped by a season-best 42-yard sprint on his first play against Rutgers on his way to a career-best 136 yards rushing on 13 carries.

What if Williams were to double most of those numbers in the months ahead?

A thousand yards rushing this season. Twenty carries of 20 yards or more. An 80-yard scoring sprint or two.

Demond Williams Jr. fidgets with his helmet before the fall camp mock game. | Dave Sizer photo

With Williams' supposed 4.3-second 40 speed, his third-year savvy as the UW leader and a huge offensive line, it seems doable.

As it stands, the Huskies should enter the season opener against Washington State in the season opener with a line that averages 6-foot-6 and 323 pounds, making it one of the largest in Power 4 football.

The Huskies return four offensive line starters from 2025 but might open the season with just two of them, with both Hatchetts uncertain when or where they'll play.

Demond Williams Jr. leads his UW quarterbacks to the next task. | Dave Sizer phot

Either way, Williams should have a fairly reliable escort if he runs behind a projected line of 6-foot-6, 315-pound Kodi Greene, 6-foot-6, 325-pound John Mills, 6-foot-6, 305-pound Kolt Dieterich, 6-foot-5, 345-pound Champ Taulealea and 6-foot-7, 325-pound Drew Azzopardi.

Williams, of course, will throw the ball with plenty of confidence, coming off a 3,065-yard, 25-touchdown campaign. He has returning starters in Dezmen Roebuck and Rashid Williams, though the latter only briefly a first-teamer, plus the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Moss.

Decker DeGraaf returns as a highly capable starting tight end, while second-year player Baron Naone seems determined to turn himself into a high quality, muliti-purpose player at that position, as well.

Running back might be a continual audition early on with Oregon transfer Jayden Limar, Troy transfer Trey Cooley and freshmen Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe pushing Carr for the No. 1 job. Coleman truly was a luxury the past two seasons.

Yet the Husky offensive prowess should come down to how well and how often Fisch is able to unleash Demond Williams Jr. and have opposing defenses furiously backpedaling and trying to keep up with him.