QB Dermaricus Davis will withdraw from transfer portal, stay with Washington Huskies

Mike Vorel By Mike Vorel
Seattle Times staff reporter
It’s been an eventful week under center at Washington.
On Sunday, four-star freshman Arizona signee Demond Williams Jr. announced a transfer to Washington.
On Monday, senior (and expected starter) Will Rogers withdrew from the transfer portal to remain at Washington, while UW four-star freshman early enrollee Dermaricus Davis entered the transfer portal and three-star 2025 passer Dash Beierly flipped his verbal commitment from Arizona to UW.
It doesn’t end there.
On Thursday, Davis — a 6-foot-5, 187-pound freshman from Altadena, Calif. — followed Rogers in withdrawing from the portal and staying in Seattle.
All in a week’s work.
“HUSKY NATION! I’m staying at the CRIB,” Davis posted on social media. “Time to turn the city up!!!”
HUSKY NATION! I’m staying at the CRIB 🏠Time to turn the city up!!!💜☔️ @CoachJeddFisch @CoachJimmieD pic.twitter.com/hokgtZU5PY
— Dermaricus9 (@dermaricus1) January 25, 2024
Together, Rogers, Davis and Williams will comprise Washington’s trio of scholarship signal-callers this spring. Three other UW quarterbacks — senior Dylan Morris (who committed to James Madison), junior William Haskell (uncommitted) and redshirt freshman Austin Mack (Alabama) — plunged into the transfer portal this offseason as well.
Thus far, 11 of UW’s 25 transfer-portal entrants have committed to outside schools. Davis is one of four Huskies to remain at UW — joining Rogers, junior defensive back Dyson McCutcheon and freshman linebacker Khmori House.
New University of Washington head football coach Jedd Fisch is serenaded by the Husky Band before a press conference at Husky Stadium Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 in Seattle. 225969
An Etiwanda (Calif.) 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,” former UW coach Kalen 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.”
Before committing to Washington last summer, Davis took an official visit to Arizona, where he was recruited by current Husky coach Jedd Fisch and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty. He also earned offers from Oregon State, BYU, Minnesota and more.
But in Seattle, Davis will encounter ample competition. In four seasons, and 40 starts at Mississippi State, Rogers completed 69.4% of his passes and threw for 12,315 yards with 96 total touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Operating primarily in Mike Leach’s air raid offense, the Brandon, Miss., native set SEC records for single-season (505 in 2021) and career completions (1,301) and school records for career passing yards (12,315) and passing touchdowns (94).
Williams, meanwhile, manages to succeed in different ways. Despite being listed at 5-9 and 174 pounds, he had a transcendent senior season at Basha (Ariz.) High in 2023 — 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. An Elite 11 finalist and former Ole Miss commit, he’s ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 19 quarterback in the 2024 class by 247Sports.
Though Washington has currently filled just 63 of 85 available scholarships, with concerning holes on both lines of scrimmage, the Huskies are suddenly relatively stable under center.
What a difference a week makes.