There are no doubts about who will be at quarterback for Washington when it faces Colorado State in its 2025 season opening on August 30 at Husky Stadium.
Demond Williams Jr. is officially the starting quarterback for the University of Washington in 2025. Williams’ promotion to starter was evident when he exchanged drives with veteran Will Rogers throughout the previous season, and it was solidified by a stellar performance in UW’s 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl.
However, the battle for second-string repetitions behind Williams is wide open.
“I see it being really all four guys right now,” coach Jedd Fisch said of the backup quarterback competition on Tuesday.
The Huskies have choices, 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 participated in spring practices.
However, a late competitor emerged on January 28: Kai Horton, a fifth-year quarterback who transferred to Washington after spending the previous 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 stated that he seeks the same qualities in a backup quarterback as he does in a starter. Someone who will be productive. Who will defend the ball? Who is willing to learn, examine tapes, and continue to improve.
Kuykendall has the greatest familiarity with Fisch’s system out of the four contenders. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound quarterback played two seasons for FCS club Northern Colorado, starting three games as a redshirt freshman in 2023. After taking over for former University of Washington quarterback Jacob Sirmon, he completed 52 of 81 throws for 454 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Kuykendall did not play in a game for the Huskies in 2024.
Beierly spent the previous season at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei High. During his senior season, he passed for 2,175 yards and 26 touchdowns with only two interceptions as the Monarchs won California’s open division state championship. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback also rushed for 447 yards and five scores on 84 attempts.
McMillan is an exciting prospect in his own right. Injuries plagued him throughout his high school career, culminating in a collarbone injury that wrecked his senior season. McMillan, on the other hand, had a great junior season at Mililani High. In Hawaii’s open division, the 6-0, 200-pound quarterback tossed for 3,521 yards and 42 touchdowns while also rushing for 575 yards and 11 scores.
Dougherty said the freshmen quarterbacks did a decent job learning the playbook. Fisch lauded Beierly and McMillan for swiftly adjusting to college football and said they will have opportunities to show themselves in spring.
Horton, a 6-4, 220-pound quarterback, appeared in 13 games over four seasons for Tulane, passing for 833 yards and six touchdowns. He chose Washington over offers from Ole Miss and North Texas, saying the opportunity to learn from Fisch and benefit from his connections made UW an intriguing choice.
“I was just told I was going to come here to compete,” Horton informed the audience.
Horton also brings an experienced perspective to a group. Beierly and McMillan are starting their first seasons of college football. Even Williams, who played major snaps in all 13 games in 2024 as a true freshman, is only 19 years old.
Fisch and the Huskies believe Horton can mentor the team’s young quarterbacks in the same way that Rogers did last season. Fisch repeatedly commended Rogers for his preparation and serving as a role model for Williams, even after the inexperienced quarterback was promoted to the starting position at Rogers’ cost.
Horton said he hopes to apply some of the things 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 demonstrated work ethic and maturity at the collegiate football level.
“All that stuff matters,” Horton remarked. “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 stated that UW pursued Horton following a recommendation from Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, a close friend of Dougherty’s, who lauded Horton’s competitive drive and intelligence. Williams stated that Horton had “brought a lot to the room.”
Horton said the quarterbacks have all been very welcoming since his arrival, and he admits he is still adjusting 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 pointed out. “That was one of the main factors of coming here, the way he’s able to coach us as quarterbacks.”
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