{"id":73250,"date":"2025-03-31T20:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T00:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=73250"},"modified":"2025-09-16T21:38:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T01:38:56","slug":"jedd-fisch-washington-coordinators-open-spring-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/03\/31\/jedd-fisch-washington-coordinators-open-spring-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Jedd Fisch, Washington Coordinators Host Spring Presser"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jedd Fisch opened the Spring press conference with energy towards Washington football’s upcoming practice sessions, stating, \u201cA lot of excitement in the air when it comes to our team.\u201d Washington will be in full pads for 12 out of its 15 sessions this Spring, the maximum allowable time during practice this April. There will be 76 scholarship players available to practice for the Washington football team this Spring and 10 or 15 walk-ons. Two fields will be utilized to maximize reps, and according to Fisch, \u201cWe’ll look good, and hopefully we’ll have great practices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington Hosts Spring Press Conference<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Spring Injury Updates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Washington will be without wide receiver Denzel Boston<\/a> and cornerback Ephesians Prysock<\/a> for the majority of Spring practice. Both veteran players had what Fisch called \u201cclean-up stuff\u201d from last year that they had to get repaired during the offseason. But the head coach said there\u2019s a chance they\u2019ll both return by the very end of April.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the defensive line, Zach Durfee, Jayvon Parker, and Deuce Davis are also out for Spring practice. They\u2019ll be working on the sidelines, but not participating in any action. We\u2019ll also have to wait for the former four-star and top in-state recruit Zaydrius Rainey-Sale. He is recovering from an ACL injury sustained in high school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Demond Williams Jr. – Starting Quarterback\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At this time last year, Demond Williams Jr.<\/a> weighed 181 pounds. Fisch said the quarterback\u2019s goal by the first day of practice is to reach 200 pounds. He\u2019s up to 198 as of Monday. Physically, Williams is bigger and stronger entering his second season at Montlake. In addition to the physicality, Williams has taken strides in the film room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis amount of time that he\u2019s spent trying to learn not just offensive football, but defensive football, is what I think will help him be able to make the biggest leap,\u201d Fisch said of Williams. With a year under his belt, the young quarterback has spent a considerable amount of time studying defenses. \u201cThat I think mentally will give him the greatest advantage from last year to this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Depth Strengthens Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Upwards of 18 offensive linemen available for Spring means Washington football can run multiple fields and double-up on reps for the running backs and quarterbacks. \u201cThe run game and the quarterback development are both critical to having an offensive line that has some experience,\u201d Fisch said. The offensive line includes seniors Geirean Hatchett<\/a>, Maximus McCree<\/a>, and Carver Willis<\/a>. In addition to them, Drew Azzopardi<\/a> is a fourth-year junior at tackle, and Landen Hatchett<\/a> is a full-go as the team’s center. \u201cThe experience that these guys are bringing, along with the amount of players\u2026 it will help Jonah [Coleman]<\/a> get a better feel for our run game.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDash [Beierly] and Kini [McMillan],\u201d Fisch began. \u201cThose guys will benefit from just being able to work two fields.\u201d Last year, the reps for quarterbacks down the depth chart were limited by the offensive linemen. They had as few as seven scholarship linemen available at times. Now, Fisch says they\u2019ll have seven or eight linemen on one field, and seven or eight linemen on another field. They\u2019ll have two team periods going on at one time during practice. \u201cOur younger players will have a much better chance to develop quicker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Offensive Coordinator Jimmie Dougherty<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speed is going to be the theme of this season\u2019s Washington offense. At quarterback and receiver, the Huskies have elite quickness. \u201cDemond is really different than anybody we\u2019ve had because of how fast he is,\u201d offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty began. \u201cHe\u2019s <\/span>fast<\/span><\/i> fast, he\u2019s like a receiver fast.\u201d That speed in the backfield can open up different dimensions for the offense, including its explosiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be more explosive. We went on too many 12, 13, 14-play drives,\u201d Dougherty said, reflecting on last season. This Spring, he plans to emphasize how the offense can work to get into the end zone in one or two plays by utilizing its speed and explosiveness. \u201cOmari Evans<\/a>, bringing him in as a transfer, really excited to see what that looks like,\u201d Dougherty added. He\u2019ll have what Dougherty calls \u201cposition flexibility.\u201d Evans will line up both out wide and in the slot in the Husky offense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dougherty and Fisch also stated their confidence in the Husky running backs. \u201cI think [Coleman] is the best running back in the country,\u201d Dougherty said on Monday. Fisch called Adam Mohammed<\/a> a \u201cspecimen.\u201d He also noted that Jordan Washington is up 20 pounds this offseason. Dougherty added that the coaching staff believes they have one of the best running back rooms in the nation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThey call it the Big Ten for a reason,\u201d Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said on Monday. \u201cYou gotta be big, especially on the line of scrimmage,\u201d Washington added some considerable size to its interior defensive line this offseason through the transfer portal. That includes Anterio Thompson (from Western Michigan<\/a>), Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei<\/a> (from Arizona), and Simote Pepa<\/a> (from Utah). They will join Jayvon Parker and Logan Sagapolu along the interior. \u201cI\u2019ve been pleased with the size and depth that we have on the interior D-line,\u201d Walters said. \u201cBut again,\u201d Walters reiterated, \u201cWe haven\u2019t put on pads yet, and haven\u2019t had a live rep yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as the schematics, there will be a lot of what we saw Walters utilize very successfully at Illinois<\/a> in 2022. It includes man coverage on the outside, five-man fronts, and cover-three looks. \u201cOur goal is to create one-on-one matchups across the board. You have to be able to hold up your one-on-one in order for it to work,\u201d Walters said. <\/span>One of the goals of Walters\u2019 defense is to be multiple. Meaning Washington will show different defensive formations consisting of players lining up in different positions. Versatility in his players is key. Several of the new arrivals and returners possess that trait. We’ll get a look at them beginning on April 1st.<\/span><\/p>\n

One Player, Each Side<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With practice set to begin on Tuesday, April 1st, we\u2019ll leave you with two players whom the Husky coaching staff made a point to mention on Monday (3\/31). On offense, it\u2019s wide receiver Rashid Williams<\/a>. He\u2019ll be a third-year player after redshirting in 2023. \u201cRashid looks a lot different, looks a lot bigger, a lot stronger,\u201d Fisch said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On defense, cornerback Caleb Presley<\/a> is a player to watch who can make a statement for himself. With Prysock out, Presley will have an opportunity for increased reps. \u201cCaleb Presley,\u201d Walters said. \u201cThis will be a huge Spring for him.\u201d The Husky defensive coordinator stated that because of the number of guys available this Spring, the number of reps that players like Presley will get will be valuable to development.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Image: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jedd Fisch opened the Spring press conference with energy towards Washington football’s upcoming practice sessions, stating, \u201cA lot of excitement in the air when it comes to our team.\u201d Washington will be in full pads for 12 out of its 15 sessions this Spring, the maximum allowable time during practice this April. There will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3944,"featured_media":73253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,35612],"tags":[33527,35000,34018,1666,2721,33528,33632,10272,509,33385,33797,33675],"class_list":["post-73250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-washington-huskies","tag-dash-beierly","tag-deuce-davis","tag-jayvon-parker","tag-jedd-fisch","tag-jimmie-dougherty","tag-kini-mcmillan","tag-logan-sagapolu","tag-ryan-walters","tag-washington-huskies","tag-washington-spring-practice","tag-zach-durfee","tag-zaydrius-rainey-sale"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73250"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73254,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73250\/revisions\/73254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}