Best Of

By Matt Calkins Seattle Times columnist

Here’s a scavenger hunt for you. Peruse the internet for a bit and try to find a site or a blog or any kind of list that has the Huskies as a top five team in the Big Ten. 

If you do it, you have me beat. In Year 2 of the Jedd Fisch era, the consensus is that the men on Montlake are still middling in what may be college football’s best conference. 

But that doesn’t mean that Fisch isn’t making progress since taking over a team that lost in the national championship game two seasons ago. Nor does it mean the rankers, listers and prognosticators truly know what the Huskies are capable of. 

What’s beyond dispute is that they just landed another four-star recruit in the form of cornerback Jeron Jones earlier in the week. What’s also true is that their 2026 recruiting class is ranked 18th in the country, per 247Sports, and their 2025 class is 23rd. Still, as interested as Huskies fans may be in how these young recruits might shape the program’s future, the primary concern lies in how they will perform this fall. 

So why should fans be hopeful despite most sites predicting UW will finish somewhere between eighth and 11th in the conference? Here are three questions where, if the answer is yes, the Huskies can make a national dent. 

1. Will quarterback Demond Williams Jr. shine as a full-time starter? 

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No, the sophomore isn’t appearing on any Heisman watch boards. Yes, he started just two games last season. And yes, he is just 19 years old. But the flashes he showed against UCLA — and more so vs. Louisville in the Sun Bowl — suggest a breakout may be on the horizon. 

Williams completed 26 of 32 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns in that December 31 bowl game — more than offsetting the pick-six he tossed in the first quarter. It didn’t produce a victory for Washington (which fell by one after a failed two-point conversion attempt), but it did produce a vision of what this youngster can do behind center. With running back Jonah Coleman joining him in the backfield, and wide receiver Denzel Boston coming back to Montlake, there’s a chance that Williams’ ability and Fisch’s acumen make for a potent offense. 

2. Will the Huskies take advantage of a (relatively) favorable schedule? 

There is no easy schedule in the Big Ten, but there are less treacherous paths than others. Of the Huskies’ eight conference opponents, only three (Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan) are predicted to have winning records, according to ESPN’s computer simulation. Granted, Oregon and Ohio State were each picked to go 10-2, but both of those foes come to Husky Stadium. As for Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin and UCLA? All sub. 500 according to the machines, with Illinois coming in at 6-6.

These are all just guesses, of course, but those road games vs. Iowa, Penn State, Oregon and Indiana last year were brutal. This slate seems less harrowing. And considering the Huskies’ last home loss came in 2021, a shocker against the Ducks or the Buckeyes doesn’t seem out of the question. 

3. Will defensive coordinator Ryan Walters live up to his A-list reputation? 

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In February, Fisch said that Walters is “probably the best defensive coordinator in the country.” In Walters’ second and final year as the DC at Illinois (2022), the Illini were third in the country in total defense — up from 49th the year before and 114th in 2020. Walters also oversaw a Missouri “D” that finished 14th nationally in total defense in 2019. 

Granted, the man didn’t perform so well as a head coach at Purdue, with the Boilermakers going 5-19 in his two years. But some people thrive as specialists, and Walter has made a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball — a side where Washington finished 28th in total defense last year. Fisch is considered the offensive mastermind of this team. Does he have an equal on defense? 

No one is expecting a national championship run next season for the Huskies. A rebuild from the Kalen DeBoer era is going to take time, and the recruiting rankings have been auspicious. 

But Washington could very well be a dark horse if their quarterback impresses and coaching staff delivers. The program has performed well off the field in the Fisch era, nabbing formidable transfers and preps in the offseason. Don’t be shocked if we see the program step it up on the field, too.

Matt Calkins: mcalkins@seattletimes .com. Matt Calkins joined The Seattle Times in August 2015 as a sports columnist after three years at the San Diego Union Tribune. Never afraid to take a stand or go off the beaten path, Matt enjoys writing about the human condition every bit as much as walk-offs or buzzer-beaters. His mom reads the comments so take it easy on him.