How Elijah Brown Put Himself In Position to Start for UW

On Friday night in the middle of the state of Indiana, Elijah Brown likely will be tabbed to become the University of Washington’s starting quarterback against Purdue. Yet it’s not like he hasn’t prepared himself for this moment.

This was evident in August when he stood in the sunshine in Husky Stadium and met with the local media for the first time following a fall camp practice.

His foresight that day looks eerily prophetic as he prepares to replace an injured and diffident Demond Williams Jr. in West Lafayette.

“Things happen in football, so there’s always opportunities,” Brown said.

Whereas Williams is dealing with a significant rib injury and a damaged psyche, Brown looks to pull the Huskies out of a funk that has become a three-game losing streak, plus he has another chance to launch his college career.

However, UW coach Jedd Fisch doesn’t want him thinking about anything but the moment at hand, which is beating the much-improved Boilermakers (3-3 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) two time zones away.

“Elijah just needs to go out there and play the best Elijah football he can play,” Fisch said.

That would consist of a cool demeanor and resulting good choices that were in marked contrast to Williams, who seemed noticeably uncomfortable and largely couldn’t make anything happen in the 41-24 loss to Iowa.

“Very quick decision-making,” Fisch said of Brown’s best attribute against the Hawkeyes. “I thought he had command.”

A third-year player same as Williams, Brown came in and completed 28 of 39 passes for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns in a little more than a half against the Hawkeyes.

While much of the fan base loudly clamors for Fisch to turn the team over to the guy with the hot hand, these people should be reminded that Brown largely has been a reserve quarterback at Stanford and the UW for some of the same issues surrounding Williams.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal-caller came to Stanford after starting for four seasons at Los Angeles high school powerhouse Mater Dei and hasn’t easily made the jump to starting college quarterback.

In his first Cardinal start as a freshman, Brown struggled to move the team against Wake Forest in 2024, was intercepted twice in three series, with one negated by penalty, and was pulled in the first quarter with his team trailing 14-0 of what would be a 27-24 loss.

That season, he larged backed up Ashton Daniels, now at Florida State, and Justin Lamson, now at Montana State.

A year ago, he drew starts against North Carolina, California and Notre Dame to close the season, and won just the Bay Area rivalry.

He was more often the back-up to Ben Gulbranson, who played one year at Stanford after beginning his career at Oregon State and has used up his eligibility.

The Huskies took Brown out of the transfer portal because of his previous reputation for success and the fact he was well-versed with a Stanford offense that was similar to what Fisch does.

Brown was surrounded by former Stanford and NFL quarterback Andrew Luck, who serves as the Cardinal general manager, and former NFL coach Frank Reich, who was the Cardinal’s interim leader last season.

“I do believe in Frank Reich, so I believe he’s been trained very similarly in a lot of ways,” Fisch said of he quarterback. “When he was available in the portal, i felt like he gave us the best chance.”

Brown, who appeared in nine games for Stanford in his two seasons, left Palo Alto because he stood to have his third head coach in three seasons and craved continuity.

“Somewhere that kind of felt like home and I could develop and become a a better quarterback,” he said of why he chose the UW. “Learn a pro-style offense that can execute at a high level. Just somewhere where I fit in.”

So after appearing in two of the UW’s first six games, and offering hope on a hopeless night against Iowa, Brown most likely will have a chance to pull the Huskies out of their doldrums and his career out of limbo against Purdue.

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