What Went Into the UW Quarterback Switch to Freshman Demond Williams Jr.

Coach Jedd Fisch became fully committed to the future with the position change.

Oregon’s Jordan Burch sacks Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. during the third quarter of the Ducks' 49-21 win. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was time.

Those three words were most telling in the aftermath of the 49-21 loss at Oregon, when Jedd Fisch explained on Saturday night why he ultimately turned his University of Washington football team over to freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr., fully understanding he was throwing a lamb to a pack of wolves.

No matter what they did, Fisch's Huskies (6-6 overall, 4-5 Big Ten_ weren't going to beat the unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Ducks (12-0, 9-0) and the coach needed to make crucial decisions going forward based on the future, not an overly hopeful idea of pulling the impossible in the present.

All season long, the UW have been in a serious rebuild, a subject the first-year coaching staff only began to acknowledge publicly once the bad losses began to pile up.

It's a big reason why so many veteran Husky players jumped ship and moved on to SEC, ACC and Big Ten teams following the CFP national championship game, preferring to stay top 25 competitive rather than start over in a tenuous building situation.

Some fans labeled them traitors, but someone such as former Husky cornerback Jabbar Muhammad now at Oregon proved to be an overly smart player who has now won 26 of his past 27 games at the college level.

In looking at the offense alone, the UW has started just three of its11 first-teamers -- sophomore right offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi, senior center D'Angalo Titialii and sophomore wide receiver Denzel Boston -- in every game this season as injuries and performance levels have forced a continuous lineup shuffle, including three different starting left tackles.

The first big personnel move for this Husky rebuild came against USC, when Fisch's staff put sophomore guard Landen Hatchett into the starting lineup for good at right offensive guard, deeming him fully recovered from his knee injury.

Hatchett replaced senior Enokk Vimahi, an Ohio State transfer and career reserve player who was brought in to temporarily plug a hole up front. Considered the Huskies' top offensive lineman, Hatchett has now started five games, four consecutive, and next year's line will be built around him.

It was time.

Williams stepped in at quarterback for senior Will Rogers, a 51-game starter for the Huskies and Mississippi State who had struggled in recent outings. It was a delicate move, with Rogers relegated to a spectator role for the first time in his five-year college career when he wasn't injured.

Oregon linebacker Teitum Tuioti sacks Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. on Saturday in Eugene. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

"I'm so proud to have had the opportunity to have coached him this season, and 'll miss him," Fisch said, ironically speaking about Rogers in the past tense with the season not finished. "If he ever wants to come back, we'll have a coaching job for him."

Williams, long labeled the future face of Husky football by his coach, has appeared in all 12 games this season, playing progressively more in each of the past three outings against No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State and a rebuilding USC.

By installing Williams as the starter now, Fisch will have him running the team for 15 postseason practices and be the No. 1 guy for the bowl game, which should help the speedy dual-threat quarterback settle in for three seasons of uninterrupted starting in Montlake.

UW linebacker Carson Bruener and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. speak to the media after losing to Oregon. / Dan Raley

"It was time -- to also be able to have a full game of film to coach him off of," Fisch said. "We were in a situation where we can now sit down and go through each play. ... He's got three years with us so it was the right time to get him going."

With junior running back and leading rusher Jonah Coleman revealing plans to return in 2025, and senior tight end Quentin Moore, the starter before suffering a season-ending knee injury, likely coming back by using a medical redshirt, the Huskies basically will be left to find four more offensive linemen who they can count on to go with Hatchett.

A year ago with a veteran line considered the nation's best, the Huskies gave up 12 sacks in 14 games. On a sacrificial day in Eugene, Fisch's guys nearly matched that total in four quarters.

These Husky linemen will need to add size and strength, and become much more reliable, or step aside for someone else.

As demonstrated in Oregon, Fisch's staff has shown it understands the value of time.

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