Add the Washington quarterback room to the list of thin position groups. True freshman and former four-star recruit Dermaricus Davis entered his name into the transfer portal on Friday. This came two days after he was absent from Washington’s practice the Wednesday prior. For almost all of Spring, Davis was taking nearly every rep with the third team. Will Rogers III and Demond Williams Jr. have clearly been the two competing for the top job this fall, with Davis as a distant third. Walk-on junior Teddy Purcell is now the third, and final, quarterback on the roster.
Washington Quarterback Dermaricus Davis Enters Portal
If you rewind to January, Davis had previously entered the transfer portal. He did so after Williams committed to Washington to follow Jedd Fisch from Arizona. Both Davis and Williams are class of 2024 early-enrollees and former four-stars. Davis wound up re-committing to Washington and choosing to compete with Williams for the future of the quarterback room. But after 11 practices this Spring, Davis decided that exploring his options elsewhere was in his best interest, and re-entered the transfer portal. The lack of reps is likely one of the reasons for Davis’ departure. At offensive line, Washington has only had anywhere from eight to 10 linemen healthy and available to participate in practice. That makes things difficult for players deeper on the depth chart.
Before Davis’ entry into the transfer portal on Friday, Fisch spoke to us about the team’s inability to split fields to generate more offensive reps during practice. “That’s kind of the only thing we’re lacking right now. We’re not able to double-up on our reps.”
Fisch said he plans to reach 15 or 16 offensive linemen by the middle of May. But right now, the bodies aren’t available on the offensive line to split fields and get meaningful reps to the players deeper on the depth chart. Davis was one of those players who had been forced to observe reps rather than take reps. Fisch told us, “We’re able to get everything done we want to get done, we just can’t get it done twice.”
Jedd Fisch’s Approach Quarterbacks in the Transfer Portal
Rogers, a four-year veteran, Williams, a true freshman, and Purcell, a walk-on, are the only quarterbacks on this roster. That figures to change things regarding the team’s approach to the transfer portal. We know of Washington’s need for players at the line of scrimmage. And Fisch has made some progress in filling those spots, landing D’Angalo Titialii and Logan Sagapulo. But the need for a quarterback throws a new wrinkle in the fabric of this Washington roster. I asked Fisch if his approach to the transfer portal changes now that there are only three quarterbacks on the roster.
He responded, “No, we’re always looking for players that want to come here, we’re always looking for the best available players.” Washington is an “enticing spot” in the eyes of the head coach. Fisch continued, “The good part is a lot of people call, a lot of people want to come.”
We’re nearing the final few days of the transfer portal being open for entry. Players can continue to choose their new homes after April 30th, but entry for non-grad transfers concludes on the 30th. However, Fisch’s demeanor didn’t seem too concerned, “I’m sure we won’t have a problem filling some roster spots here in the next few weeks.” It’s likely this team adds a couple more signal callers by his mid-May projection of having a completed roster. “We’ll probably add one or two more [quarterbacks].” Going into Spring practice, the quarterback room didn’t seem to be much of a concern. And it still has experience with Rogers, and young talent with Williams. But things have changed, and the quarterback room now requires attention.
Main Image courtesy: Nick Lemkau
