After the Washington Huskies' second scrimmage of fall camp, coach Jedd Fisch expressed confidence in the two quarterbacks on the depth chart heading into the 2026 college football season.
With third-year starter Demond Williams Jr. entrenched as the leader of UW's offense, three players have been vying to be his backup. After 15 spring practices and another dozen-plus in August, Stanford transfer Elijah Brown has solidified himself as the Huskies' backup quarterback, beating out a pair of second-year passers in Treston Kini McMillan and Dash Beierly.
"Yeah, right now if we were playing this week he'd be QB2," Fisch said, confirming Brown's spot on the depth chart ahead of the Huskies' season opener against Washington State on September 6.
Brown,
a 6-foot-2 and 215-pound Huntington Beach, California native, made nine appearances and three starts for the Cardinal in his two seasons in Palo Alto, all of which came last fall at North Carolina, and the final two home games against California and Notre Dame to finish with a 1-2 overall record as Stanford's starting quarterback.
Stanford transfer QB Elijah Brown completes a pass to former 4⭐️ WR Mason James. pic.twitter.com/7u0mRBlkFa
— Nick Lemkau (@nicklemkaucfb) April 2, 2026
Brown completed 74-of-127 of his passes (58.1 percent) for 829 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions over six games, the bulk of which came in Stanford's final three regular-season games.
The former four-star recruit in the 2024 class and Elite 11 finalist has proven to be the most consistent option behind Williams Jr. for third-year coach Fisch and first-year quarterbacks coach J.P. Losman during fall camp. In addition to Brown's experience as a starter, the former Stanford passer has impressed the coaching staff with his understanding of the offense.
"Couldn't be more happy with him right now coming in learning the offense," Losman said of the transfer. "Man, we put him in there. Sink or swim, in the fire, and he has responded in a big way and got everyone juiced up in the quarterback room like, 'Oh my gosh. How has this kid been able to pick up the offense that fast?'"
Although Williams Jr., a fellow Elite 11 finalist in the '24 class out of Basha High School in Arizona, has maintained his reps as the first-team quarterback, Brown proved to be a consistent option behind the ex-four-star since he arrived in Seattle.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Stanford Transfer Solidified as Washington Football's Backup QB
