UW Huskies QB Demond Williams Jr. day-to-day with ‘significant’ ribs injury

UW Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch told reporters Monday that quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is day-to-day with a “significant” rib injury, but he didn’t make it sound like the dual-threat quarterback has much of a chance of playing Friday night when the Huskies face Purdue.

Fisch said the Huskies are waiting on additional imaging and what a treatment plan will look like for Williams before making a decision on whether or not he will play. But when asked if Williams will start if he is cleared to play, Fisch was noncommittal.

“I don’t know. That would be pretty much a hypothetical at this point because I don’t envision being at that spot to have to make that decision,” Fisch said. “If he is, then we’ll talk about it as a staff and see how healthy he is. I don’t want setbacks. I don’t want a situation where he can barely make it back and then we start him and then we end up losing him for weeks after that. So, we’ll deal with that at the time.”

Head Coach Jedd Fisch Press Conference: October 12, 2026 https://t.co/flqJq7BQT6

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When pressed further about the status of Williams against Purdue, Fisch said he’s “not under the impression” Williams would be available “based on where he is at physically.”

“But I don’t want to predict the medical future either,” Fisch added. “We still have four days before we have to make that decision.”

Williams left last Friday’s 41-24 loss to Iowa in the second quarter after taking a hit and did not return after undergoing X-rays.

Elijah Brown came in to relieve Williams and played well, leading UW on all three of its touchdown drives. He completed 28 of 39 passes for 251 yards and three TDs.

“I thought he did a great job of getting the ball out of his hands” Fisch said. “He found the primary read most, if not all, of the time. … I thought he had really good command.”

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