There are no questions about who will be under center for Washington when it takes the field against Colorado State for its 2025 opener at Husky Stadium on Aug. 30.
Demond Williams Jr. is fully entrenched as UW’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season. Williams’ ascension to starter was apparent when he alternated drives with veteran Will Rogers throughout the past campaign, and cemented by a standout performance in UW’s 35-34 defeat against Louisville in the Sun Bowl.
However, the competition for the second-string repetitions behind Williams is wide open.
“I see it being really all four guys right now,” coach Jedd Fisch said about the backup quarterback battle on Tuesday.
The Huskies have options, unlike a season ago when UW carried just three scholarship quarterbacks into the 2024 season. Returning junior Shea Kuykendall was part of the position group a season ago, and Washington signed two true freshmen — Dash Beierly and Treston “Kini” McMillan — as part of its 2025 recruiting class. Both Beierly and McMillan enrolled early and have participated during spring practices.
Yet a late contender arrived on Jan. 28: Kai Horton, a fifth-year quarterback who transferred to Washington after spending the past four seasons at Tulane.
“It’s a lot of new faces, guys that haven’t been here,” quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said Thursday.
Dougherty said he’s looking for the same traits in a second-string quarterback that he wants in a starter. Someone who will be efficient. Who will protect the ball. Who’s willing to learn, watch tape and keep improving.
Kuykendall has the most experience in Fisch’s system of the four candidates. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound quarterback spent two seasons at FCS-program Northern Colorado, starting three games as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He completed 52 of his 81 passes for 454 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions after taking over for former UW quarterback Jacob Sirmon. Kuykendall didn’t appear in a game for the Huskies in 2024.
Beierly spent the past season at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei High. He passed for 2,175 yards and 26 touchdowns against just two interceptions during his senior season as the Monarchs won California’s open division state championship. The 6-1, 215-pound quarterback also rushed for 447 yards and five touchdowns on 84 carries.
McMillan poses an intriguing option in his own right. Injuries limited him throughout his high school career, including a collarbone injury that derailed his senior season. However, McMillan’s healthy junior season at Mililani High was electric. The 6-0, 200-pound quarterback passed for 3,521 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for 575 yards and 11 touchdowns in Hawaii’s open division.
Dougherty said the freshmen quarterbacks have done a good job learning the playbook. Fisch praised Beierly and McMillan for adapting to college football quickly, and said they will get chances to prove themselves this spring.
Horton, the 6-4, 220-pound quarterback, played in 13 games across four seasons at Tulane, passing for 833 yards and six touchdowns. He chose Washington instead of offers from Ole Miss and North Texas, and said having a chance to learn from Fisch and benefit from his connections made UW an appealing destination.
“I was just told I was going to come here to compete,” Horton said.
Horton also adds an experienced voice to a group. Beierly and McMillan are embarking on their first seasons of college football. Even Williams, who played significant snaps in all 13 games in 2024 as a true freshman, and just turned 19 years old.
Fisch and the Huskies hope Horton can mentor the team’s young quarterbacks like Rogers did a season ago. Fisch frequently praised Rogers for his preparedness and being a role model for Williams, even after the young quarterback was promoted to the starting job at Rogers’ expense.
Horton said he wants to channel some of the lessons he learned from former Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt, the 2023 AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Horton said Pratt taught him to be detail oriented, and showed him what work ethic and maturity looked like at the college football level.
“All that stuff matters,” Horton said. “A lot people don’t realize how much that matters, because if you can’t do those little things right, how is a coach going to trust you to get on the field when it’s the fourth quarter, fourth-and-goal and we’re trying to score to win the game?”
Dougherty said UW pursued Horton because of a recommendation from Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, a good friend of Dougherty’s, who praised Horton’s competitive drive and intelligence. Williams said Horton has “brought a lot to the room.”
Horton said the quarterbacks have all been very welcoming since he arrived, and admitted he’s still getting acclimated to Seattle and the Husky offense.
“(Fisch) wants you to be able to read the defense fully, full-field reads and progression reads and one-hot, two-high reads,” Horton said. “That was one of the main factors of coming here, the way he’s able to coach us as quarterbacks.”
Thursday’s practice was, perhaps, proof of the challenges in learning Fisch’s system. Horton threw his first interception of the spring as sophomore cornerback Leroy Bryant picked off his attempted pass to Penn State transfer Omari Evans down the right sideline.
Horton’s not the only quarterback to throw an interception early this spring. Kuykendall was picked off by junior linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah, who jumped a slant during Tuesday’s practice. But both quarterbacks made nice throws down the right sideline to Evans during the team’s “Sandstorm” period on Tuesday, with Horton tossing two touchdowns. Beierly and McMillan have made limited appearances in 11-on-11 periods early in the spring.
“It’s our job to make sure that those guys are all getting those reps because that’s how you learn,” Dougherty said. “That’s the only way to do it, is by going out there, getting the reps and then you go back in the film room and correct it or say good job. Whatever it might be. But there’s no substitute for getting that live rep at practice.”
Scholarship punter exits
Dusty Zimmer, the Australian punter who signed with Washington as part of its 2025 recruiting class, departed the team Friday, a team spokesperson confirmed.
Zimmer, a 6-5, 230-pound specialist, was present during the team’s first spring practice Tuesday. The spokesperson said Zimmer’s departure was a personal decision and not a dismissal by the team.
He’s the second member of UW’s 29-player signing class to leave the Huskies before the season started. Offensive lineman Peter Langi was released from his aid agreement shortly after signing with Washington in December and eventually landed at Arizona
Zimmer’s exit leaves UW and new special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli in a difficult situation for the rest of the spring. The only other punter on the roster is walk-on sophomore Troy Petz, a 6-1, 193-pound Lynden native who’s never appeared in a game during his two seasons with the Huskies.
Jack McCallister, the walk-on punter from Edmonds who handled UW’s punting duties for the past three seasons, transferred to Nebraska after playing in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 because of Zimmer’s expected arrival. Adam Saul, a former junior college punter who spent two seasons at UW, also entered the transfer portal following the 2024 season.
UW can fill the void left by Zimmer during the spring transfer portal, which opens April 16.