Williams' Reputation Holds Steady In Big Ten QB Ranking

The Husky signal-caller is lumped among the conference's best.

As Demond Williams Jr. goes in 2026, so the Huskies. | Dave Sizer photo

Entering Year 3 of Jedd Fisch, the University of Washington football team has more high-quality offensive linemen than at any time since it played for the national championship. All of a sudden, the Huskies have put together a defense filled with playmakers. Depth is pervasive up and down the roster.

Yet while measuring all of this front-loaded heft and the ferocity of the tacklers, the success for this UW crew, of course, still boils down to the effectiveness of the quarterback.

Ninety-five days from the opener, Demond Williams Jr. solidly remains the difference between good and great in Montlake. And while many of his teammates are being overlooked in preseason assessments, the junior signal-caller's reputation appears to be holding steady.

In the latest assessment of Big Ten starting quarterbacks by something called Twitter Football Central, Williams turns up fourth in the conference, ranked only behind Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Oregon's Dante Moore and USC's Jayden Maiava.

Sounds more than reasonable.

Each of those other guys threw for more yards and either won more games or the same amount as Williams last season.

Sayin and Moore prevailed in head-to-head match-ups against the UW quarterback -- both in Husky Stadium.

What Williams still doesn't have is a signature victory with some grist, where beating a 23rd-ranked Illinois remains his high-water mark.

Twitter Football Central's ranking of all 18 Big Ten starting quarterbacks for 2026, led by Ohio State's Julian Sayin pic.twitter.com/ud2B4IgHom

— TFC Official (@TFC_Official01) June 3, 2026

Compared to the other guys in winging the ball, Sayin returns as the nation's most accurate passer after connecting on 301 of 391 passes (77 percent) for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns, with 8 interceptions, for the 12-2 Buckeyes.

Oregon's Moore comes off a season in which he hit on 296 of 412 passes (71.8 percent) for 3,565 yards and 30 TDs, with 10 pass thefts, for the 13-2 Ducks.

Maiava's stat line goes as follows: 265 completions in 403 attempts (65.8 percent) for 3,711 yards and 24 scores, with 10 interceptions, for the 9-4 Trojans.

Demond Williams Jr. lets one fly in the Spring Game. | Dave Sizer photo

As for Williams, he trails all of the others in passing attempts, completions and yardage, and all but Maiva in TD passes. His numbers: 246 of 354 passing (69.5 percent) for 3,065 yards and 25 scores, with 8 pass thefts, for the 9-4 Huskies.

Williams, of course, is a better runner than the others. He carried the ball 143 times for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025.

Sayin's forte is not rushing the ball. He carried it just 14 times for a negative 44 yards and no TDs. Moore was a little busier in tucking the ball and running, carrying it 73 times for 156 yards and 2 scores. Maiava matched Williams with TDs with 6, but ran just 54 times for 157 yards.

Where Williams also differs from the others -- and don't laugh out loud at this -- is he's played for just one team.

Sayin has spent time with Ohio State and Alabama, Moore with UCLA and Oregon, and Maiava with UNLV and USC.

Williams, except for a half-week flirtation in the transfer portal reportedly with LSU, has played only for the Huskies. No one is going to let him out of town either until he delivers wins in a big way.