Adding an experienced backup quarterback is something Jedd Fisch mentioned the staff would prioritize during the transfer portal cycle. Behind Demond Williams, who’s played in 26 career games with 15 starts, rising redshirt freshman Kini McMillian has just three career snaps. Dash Beierly has yet to see the field. Washington added former Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown, whom Williams and this Husky staff are both very familiar with.
Stanford Transfer QB Elijah Brown
Brown was a four-star recruit in the 2024 recruiting class and was recruited by Jimmie Dougherty to play for Arizona prior to the coaching changes. Brown ultimately committed to play for Stanford. In the Summer of 2023, prior to his senior season at Mater Dei High School, Brown was an Elite 11 Finalist in Los Angeles. The prestigious, national quarterback competition invites 20 of the country’s top high school signal callers to a final event after a Summer-long tour of regional competitions. Brown was there alongside Williams, who at the time was committed to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. Now, a little over two years later, the two occupy the same quarterback room in Seattle.
Brown’s Quarterback Style
At 6’-2” and 205 pounds, Brown plays quarterback with a slightly different skillset than that of Williams. Brown’s strength is in delivering accurate, downfield passes from the pocket while not looking to run. He’s not a runner, having only six true run attempts (non-sacks) during the 2025 season for 15 yards. His stature in the pocket allows him to see the field well and not have to flee the pocket to create open passing lanes. In starts against Cal and Notre Dame at the end of last season, Brown showed on a few different occasions his ability to stand tall in the pocket in the face of pressure. He seems to have a quality sense of his surroundings, quickly and accurately getting rid of the football under pressure.
In those games against Cal and Notre Dame, Brown had two of his best passes of the season. Against Cal, Brown tossed a 34-yard sideline pass to his receiver in tight one-on-one coverage for a touchdown. One game later, he threw a similar pass to the near sideline, knowing he was about to be hit by the Notre Dame rush. Again, it was an accurate 32-yard delivery, which set up a touchdown pass to cap the drive. Both instances were similar passes in similar spots. But the first was in a clean pocket, and the latter was in the face of pressure, where he showed his poise in the pocket. Brown played in six games as a redshirt freshman at Stanford last season, starting three. He completed 74 passes for 829 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Backup Quarterback Competition
Though Brown packs experience at the position, there’s still expected to be a competition for the backup role at Washington. Kini McMillan held the third-string spot last season behind Kai Horton. And McMillan earned his first playing time in the LA Bowl against Boise State. He took three snaps in that game. That’s a nod to his performance leading up to and throughout the duration of the 2025 season.
McMillan missed almost the entirety of his senior season of high school at Mililani High School in Hawaii. But the rising redshirt freshman listed at 6’-0” and 210 pounds played inspired football during Spring practice last year to earn his spot, unofficially, at third on the depth chart at Washington. McMillan’s Spring game performance was his highlight of the offseason. Unofficially, he connected on five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. That passing score went to Raiden Vines-Bright for 16 yards. McMillan also had a 35-yard pass completion in the game. He has a strong arm to make throws to all points of the field and certainly will compete with Brown for the backup job this offseason. The only thing he lacks is game experience.
Because of the way that he was trending last Spring and Summer, and the coach’s willingness to get him a glimpse of game action at the end of last season, McMillan likely enters this Spring with a slight leg up on Beierly.
Main Photo: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
