How 10 New Husky Freshmen Are Faring in Spring Ball

A look at each of the UW newcomers and their introduction to college football.

Passing up prom or senior skip day, 10 freshmen arrived early for University of Washington spring football practice, five who were signed by departed coach Kalen DeBoer and five who were convinced to become Huskies by new leader Jedd Fisch.

The trick for these new guys is to pull on the pads, walk onto the practice field and act like it's no big deal while sometimes playing next to a UW veteran who could be five or six years older than them -- i.e., see the recently graduated and NFL-bound Michael Penix Jr., who turns 24 in two weeks.

More often than not, the early enrolling freshmen pull on obscure jersey numbers, sort of get buried in the process, draw a lot of instruction from their position coaches and try not to look overwhelmed by it all.

While each of these 10 guys should be finishing up high school, wearing his letterman's jacket a final time before hanging it up in the closet for good and saying goodbye to his very first girlfriend, they probably feel much more acclimated to big-boy football now after nine practices.

Freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr., has needed no adjustment period. From his first day, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Arizona native has acted like absolutely nothing fazes him -- not senior linebacker Carson Bruener bearing down on him, not California wide receiver transfer Jeremiah Hunter wanting the football from him.

"He's light years ahead of a kid who should be in the hot lunch line," UW quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty said of the precocious Williams. "He should still be in high school right now and he's out here playing college football in Husky Stadium. And to do what he's doing is pretty special."

A brief update on each member of this collection of young, new talent for the Huskies:

Dermaricus Davis, QB -- So tall and so smooth, the 6-foot-5, 187-pound signal-caller still proved as anxious about getting things right at the outset as his freshman counterpart Williams was ho hum about it. Taking third-unit reps, he's settled in and showed off his considerable skills. He can run and pass. A Davis-Williams starting QB competition maybe next year is going to be something fun to watch.

Decker DeGraaf, TE -- He seemed sort of tentative when he first joined the tight-end group, shyly mixing in with the others, but his comfort level took off and body language changed during the second week when he started making a lot of catches over the middle. He and sophomore Ryan Otton share reps behind senior Quentin Moore.

Paki Finau, OG -- With the Huskies low on returning linemen, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Finau has received invaluable first-team reps throughout the spring, with the exception of a couple of days where he was sidelined with some issue. He needs another 15 pounds on his lean frame. He's probably a year away from starting, which is a good career pace for him.

Paki Finau (53) has received a lot of No. 1 offense reps as a freshman.

Skylar Lin Visuals

Audric Harris, WR -- He's from Rome Odunze's Las Vegas high school, plays the same position and pulls on No. 13 whereas Odunze was assigned 16 when he first arrived. Harris has worked with the third bunch of receivers and was making plenty of mid-range catches until forced to sit out Saturday's practice with some ailment.

Khmori House, LB -- More and more, he's made his presence known with his second-row quickness while taking third-team reps. The crowning moment for his arrival might have come in week 3 of spring drills when he walked to the middle of Husky Stadium alone and raised his arms skyward, as if to say he was real happy to be here.

Adam Mohammed, RB -- Fisch praised this muscular kid for coming in, being ready to go and taking reps as the No. 2 running back while others rehabbed injuries, dealt with legal issues or entered the transfer portal. He might turn out to be the real find of this recruiting class.

Demond Williams steps into a spring practice throw.

Skylar Lin Visuals

Jason Robinson Jr., WR -- This guy might be the second-most confident freshman behind Williams while working with the second or third set of receivers. He got into the spring's first practice skirmish with nickelback Jordan Shaw. He's always moving to the beat, especially when the music is turned up loud.

Peyton Waters, S -- Waters went through the usual freshman orientation and blended in before he emerged as a much more noticeable centerfielder for the Husky defense. In particular, he made a perfect break on a ball thrown by Will Rogers and came up with a goal-line interception, which was a veteran move.

Michael Levelle Watkins, OG -- The good news for the 6-foot-2, 315-pound offensive lineman from Glendale, Arizona, is he's pulling a lot of first-team reps same as Finau while the Huskies shop for veterans in the transfer portal to hold down these spots in the fall. The downside is Watkins showed up a bit out of shape and has been held after practice for additional conditioning.

Demond Williams Jr., QB -- When his time comes to play on Saturday, he will be the fastest quarterback the Huskies have ever had, or at least since Mark Brunell. As the No. 2 QB behind Rogers, he's been the ultimate playmaker. He's so comfortable in his own skin, he's already been allowed as a freshman to meet with the media, which is a rarity for the program but the mark of a true leader.

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