Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch said Monday, Oct. 20, that transfer quarterback Elijah Brown is in consideration for the starting job after leading the team to its first Big Ten win of the season, according to Yahoo Sports.
Brown, a third-year quarterback who transferred from Stanford this offseason, started in place of injured Demond Williams Jr. on Oct. 16 and threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-26 road win over Purdue. Williams suffered a rib injury in Washington's 41-24 loss to Iowa on Oct. 9, a game Hawkeye fans watched closely as their team dismantled the Huskies' offense.
How Brown earned his shot
In his first start in the Pacific Northwest, Brown went 21-for-27 with three touchdowns and three interceptions. The performance was strong enough that Fisch told reporters at his weekly news conference that Brown has earned real consideration to keep the job.
“(Brown) did enough to be considered (as the starter),” Fisch said. “And we'll see how Demond does this week physically and medically and we'll make a decision here, probably in a week or so how we want to proceed. But I certainly believe in the six quarters that he's played, (Brown) has certainly earned consideration.”
The Seattle Times analyzed the performance and concluded Brown made a strong case for the starting job, noting that Washington scored more than 24 points against an FBS opponent for the first time this season with him under center.
The Iowa connection
Hawkeye fans have a front-row seat to this storyline. Brown played the second half plus two drives of Washington's loss in Iowa City on Oct. 9, after Williams went down. Across three appearances this season, including garbage time against Eastern Washington on Sept. 19, Brown has completed 73.9% of his passes for 578 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Williams, before the injury, had completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,396 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions, and added 183 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. He led the Big Ten in total yardage last season with 3,676 yards and nearly entered the transfer portal before reversing course on a deal rumored to be worth more than $4.5 million.
What happens next for Washington
Williams has been cleared to practice this week, but his availability for Washington's next game remains uncertain. The Huskies have a bye this week before traveling to face Nebraska at 5 p.m. PT on Oct. 31 in Lincoln.
Fisch said Williams and Brown will split first-team reps in practice, which will be full-speed and full-contact Monday and Tuesday. He stopped short of calling it a competition, sticking with the coaching staff's standard line that every position is up for grabs, but the setup speaks for itself if Williams is medically cleared.
The coach also praised how Williams handled watching from the sideline, saying the injured starter stayed fully engaged with Brown during the Purdue win.
“I thought on game day, watching the TV copy back, (what stood out) was how engaged (Williams) was with Elijah,” Fisch said. “I never felt, at any point in time, there was any pause or hesitancy in terms of being a fantastic teammate.”
Why it matters for the Big Ten picture
Washington's quarterback decision carries weight across the conference, and Iowa fans have a direct stake in it. The Hawkeyes already handed the Huskies one of their conference losses, and the quarterback shakeup that followed suggests the Iowa defense left a lasting mark on Washington's season.
Iowa's own season has been one of the conference's better turnaround stories, a contrast to the instability in Seattle. For readers tracking the broader college football landscape, Iowa's coaching revival stands out as one of the year's notable success stories.
Brown's rise is also a familiar script in modern college football: a high-profile transfer stepping in when a big-money returning starter falters or gets hurt. The Stanford transfer was a decorated high school quarterback at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, and Washington brought him in precisely for a moment like this.
FAQ
Who is starting at quarterback for Washington?
It is undecided. Jedd Fisch said Elijah Brown is in consideration after his first start, and Brown and Demond Williams Jr. will split first-team reps in practice ahead of the Oct. 31 game at Nebraska.
Why did Elijah Brown start against Purdue?
Starter Demond Williams Jr. suffered a rib injury in Washington's 41-24 loss to Iowa on Oct. 9, which opened the door for Brown to make his first start on Oct. 16.
How did Elijah Brown play in his first start?
Brown went 21-for-27 for 302 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in a 38-26 win over Purdue, Washington's first Big Ten win of the season.