Montlake Monday: No QB update, but Jedd Fisch talks portal defense and more

Plus: the Huskies are stockpiling offensive linemen in 2025 and 2026.

SEATTLE — Jedd Fisch is staying true to his word: no starting quarterback announcement before Saturday’s trip to Eugene.

The Huskies coach did offer praise for how both Will Rogers and Demond Williams Jr. navigated the last week of practice, but reiterated that he has no plans to name a starter before UW’s game at No. 1 Oregon kicks off at 4:30 p.m. — or at least before pre-game warmups, which typically provide some idea as to who might be starting.

Fisch does already know who’s starting — “I have a good idea how we’re going to do that,” he said — and will give that player the bulk of the reps in practice this week.

The coach said last week that he wanted to see how Williams responded to his breakout performance in helping lead UW to its 31-19 victory over UCLA on Nov. 15, and also how Rogers responded to being benched after throwing two interceptions.

“I think Will’s experience showed up at practice — a guy that has started 51 games, a guy that has understood all the different elements, and a guy that has kind of been able to handle some ups and downs,” Fisch said. “He’s had some adversity in his career when he was at Mississippi State. I think for Will, he certainly was able to take a deep breath and handle it really well this week.

“On the same token, Demond’s energy and Demond’s confidence showed up. His ability to jump right in and feel really good about leading the group whenever it was his turn — he did a really nice job there, as well. I think both guys responded well to the week of practice, and now, really, it’s important for us that the guy we believe will start the game gets a significant amount of reps in practice week. But as you know, we’re not afraid to play two quarterbacks.”