CBS Sports ranks Demond Williams Jr. among nation's top 20 QBs

Coming into the 2026 season, Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies expect Demond Williams Jr. to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

After completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns with 8 interceptions, while adding 611 yards and 6 scores on the ground in his first full year as a starter, the expectations around the junior have risen. While ranking all Power Four starting quarterbacks ahead of the 2026 season, CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has Williams sitting as the No. 18 signal caller in the nation.

That also places him as the No. 5 quarterback in the Big Ten behind Oregon's Dante Moore (No. 1), Ohio State's Julian Sayin (No. 2), USC's Jayden Maiava (No. 9), and Indiana's Josh Hoover (No. 10). As Williams looks to improve in big games, he'll have a great opportunity to make a statement against some of the names above him when the Huskies travel to Oregon and USC, while Indiana has to make a trip to Husky Stadium.

"Just playing a little more mature, a little more understanding of the defense of who we're playing against, the game plan," Williams said at spring practice when asked where he wants to improve the most in 2026. "Really, just the whole nine, getting better all around, trying to prepare myself to hopefully get to that next level."

As Williams continues to get comfortable with a young, yet talented group of wide receivers around him, led by 2025 Freshman All-American Dezmen Roebuck and junior Rashid Williams, he's spent the early part of spring practice working on throwing with anticipation over the middle of the field. With young playmakers like freshmen Jordan Clay and Trez Davis emerging early, Williams will have a full complement of weapons around him this fall.

Now, he knows he also needs to assert himself as one of the team's vocal leaders to help push his team further in big moments.

"Being more vocal and more outspoken as a leader," Williams added of his growth over the offseason in March. "And also understanding where we're at as a team, and what it's going to take to beat the teams that we didn't beat last year, and continue to instill that in the rest of the guys."

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Demond Williams Jr. ranked as top 20 QB by CBS Sports