UW QB carousel keeps spinning as freshman Dermaricus Davis decides to enter transfer portal

Mike Vorel
On Sunday, four-star freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announced his decision to follow coach Jedd Fisch from Arizona to Washington.
But as is often the case in the current iteration of college football, one move may yield another.
A day later, UW freshman quarterback Dermaricus Davis decided to enter the transfer portal, he told 247Sports Monday.
Davis — a 6-foot-5, 187-pound freshman from Altadena, Calif. — signed with Washington in December and enrolled early this month, planning to play for coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. But it’s worth noting that Davis was also enthusiastically recruited by current Husky coach Jedd Fisch and quarterbacks coach/passing-game coordinator Jimmie Dougherty at Arizona.
Davis is plenty familiar with the new coaches at Washington.
But that might not be enough.
“I took an official visit to Arizona and they were one of my top three choices,” Davis told 247Sports. “I’ve already had one meeting with my position coach and coach Fisch and they came in with open arms.
“Washington is definitely an option for me and I’m still feeling out all the coaches. I just felt like this was the best move for me right now and I’m looking forward to going through the process.”
An Etiwanda High School standout, Davis is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 17 quarterback in the 2024 class by 247Sports. He threw for 2,618 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 223 yards and seven more scores as a senior last fall.
“He’s got all the measurables, from the height, being able to run and move around with his feet, extend plays that way,” DeBoer said during last month’s early signing day. “I love what he does with his arm strength, his arm talent, his accuracy. We got a chance to see him up close with camps and so forth. I think he brings a leadership value. He’s a little more quiet right now, but I could see it in him at times as he led his team throughout the year, where he even continued to develop as a leader there.”
Williams, meanwhile, brings a different skill set to Washington. Though listed at just 5-9 and 174 pounds, the Elite 11 finalist had a transcendent senior season at Basha (Ariz.) High — completing 76.6% of his passes for 3,250 yards with 34 passing touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 1,146 yards and 20 scores. The former Ole Miss commit is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 19 recruit in the 2024 class by 247Sports.
Williams — a Chandler, Ariz., product — also impressed at the All-American Bowl, completing 15 of 19 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, plus 38 rushing yards and another score.
Following that effort, 247Sports national scouting analyst Gabe Brooks wrote that “Williams’ dynamic game performance was befitting of his entire high school career and All-American Bowl week efforts. Only 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, Williams plays with an obvious feel for the QB position and the game in general. He’s an excellent functional athlete with dangerous on-the-move playmaking ability, whether improvising as a passer or scrambling.”
But Washington will need more than Williams under center this spring and fall. To date, five UW scholarship quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal, with two announcing new commitments: senior Dylan Morris (James Madison), redshirt freshman Austin Mack (Alabama), senior Will Rogers (uncommitted), junior William Haskell (uncommitted) and Davis (uncommitted).
There’s optimism that Rogers — the SEC’s No. 2 all-time passer, with 12,315 yards in four seasons at Mississippi State, who re-entered the portal after transferring to play for DeBoer and Grubb — may decide to remain at UW to conclude his college career.
In that scenario, Rogers would enter the 2024 season as the assumed starter.
But considering Davis’ portal plunge and Rogers’ uncertain decision, UW must continue to add to its quarterbacks room.
Spring practice is approaching, after all.
Davis was not the only UW player who added to the transfer portal trend Monday. Three-star linebacker signee and early enrollee Khmori House added to that group as well.
The 6-0, 187-pound House was ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 80 linebacker in the 2024 class by 247Sports. He chose the Huskies over offers from Texas, Auburn, Colorado, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee, Washington State and more.
A St. John Bosco (Calif.) standout, House is the 24th Husky to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Of that group, nine have committed to new schools and one (junior defensive back Dyson McCutcheon) chose to return to Washington. Six of UW’s 15 freshman signees last month have since been released from their national letter of intent of entered the transfer portal.
House — who posted 72 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two sacks in his senior season — was UW’s only freshman linebacker signee in the 2024 cycle. The Huskies also added former Vanderbilt captain Ethan Barr, who has since transferred again to Central Florida.
UW’s 2024 roster currently includes just four scholarship linebackers: seniors (and expected starters) Alphonzo Tuputala and Carson Bruener, and redshirt freshmen Deven Bryant and Jordan Whitney. Senior walk on Drew Fowler is a capable contributor as well.