Demond Williams Jr. Is UW Freshman Quarterback Ahead of His Time

Calm and collected, the Arizona newcomer conducts a rare Husky freshman interview.

The University of Washington football program often doesn't let a freshman speak to the media, or at least until well into the season. The idea is to enable these newcomers to get comfortable with their surroundings and give them a little guidance before getting grilled, if not keep them from saying something they shouldn't.

Then there's Demond Williams Jr., a first-year quarterback unique to the Huskies over the past quarter century in so many ways.

He's the first serious dual-threat player for the UW since Marques Tuiasosopo, who became the first in NCAA history to pass for 300 yards and run for 200 yards in a game, piling up 302 and 207 in a 35-30 victory over Stanford in 1999.

With his 4.4-second time in the 40-yard dash, Williams stands to be the fastest UW quarterback since Mark Brunell, or at least pre-knee injury for the 1991Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player.

So comfortable in his 5-foot-11, 185-pound skin, Williams strode up to a large contingent of media types after practice on Tuesday evening and didn't blink. He mesmerized this group with his cool and confidence under fire in the interview pocket, answering every question they threw at him with no hiccups.

Asked if anyone ever tried to make him play something at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, other than what he does now, especially with his compact size, Williams said flatly, "I started my freshman year in high school so I had those {QB} opportunities early, so I felt that was never a question."

Quizzed about coming in with fellow 4-star quarterback recruit Demaricus Davis and the prospects of them going head to head for the No. 1 job someday, he said, "We're really close. It's going to be a healthy competition."

Questioned whether he would press Will Rogers for the starting job or concede and just call it a learning experience, Williams paused and then picked the first option, responding, " That's the goal. The goal is always to compete."

Demond Williams Jr. leaves spring practice asking questions.

Dan Raley

For four spring practices, Williams has dazzled everyone in attendance at Husky Stadium with his speed coming out of the backfield, scrambling time and again to find open field.

He's similarly showed off an accurate passing ability with decent arm strength, threading a 45-yard ball through a tight window to Jeremiah Hunter on the first day of spring practice.

Williams previously was recruited by Kalen DeBoer's Huskies but didn't give them much consideration because he was smitten all along with Jedd Fisch, who was at Arizona before replacing DeBoer at the UW.

"That's my guy," Williams said of Fisch. "He's always been there. He offered me as a freshman and that kind of stuck with me. He's always been there for me whenever i needed him, just having that experience and having that pro knowledge to develop me to be the best quarterback I can be."

He brings outerworldly high school stats to Montlake, completing 645 of 903 passes for 10,035 yards and 93 touchdowns at Basha High while rushing 480 times for 2,783 yards and 42 scores.

Williams is an early enrollee at the UW while establishing himself as a UW quarterback, and he's off to a very good start and promising that lots of good things are coming with Fisch's rebuilding Huskies.

"We're still working through some kinks," he said, "and you know we're going to be good by the time we're going to play a game."

And Williams now has one interview session in the books, again rare for a Husky freshman.

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