Demond Williams Jr.'s early Heisman odds might turn UW fans' heads

The Heisman Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding player in college football, is likely the most prestigious individual award in college athletics. On Tuesday, FanDuel Sportsbook released a shortlist of the 20 players most likely to win the 2026 Heisman, which named Demond Williams Jr. as an early contender.

According to FanDuel, Washington’s rising junior quarterback currently has +4000 odds to take home next season’s Heisman, and sits in a three-way tie for the 17th-best chances of winning the award.

On one hand, Williams Jr. should be honored to begin his junior year with odds that high. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman despite beginning the year as a +6000 underdog, and Colorado’s Travis Hunter had 2024 odds of +3500. Williams Jr. wasn’t named to FanDuel’s 2025 shortlist, but his performances as a sophomore clearly earned him some national recognition this time around.

On the other hand, Husky fans could absolutely make an argument in favor of Williams Jr. deserving better odds. Williams Jr. had a better 2025 passer rating (161.0) than all but four of the quarterbacks named in FanDuel’s shortlist on Monday, and he may be the most elusive scrambler of them all. 

However, statistics aside, there’s a glaring reason Husky fans should dispute FanDuel’s early odds.

Demond Williams Jr. and a backup quarterback share same Heisman odds

You read that right. Washington’s starting quarterback and a player who is expected to redshirt are both 40-1 underdogs to win the 2026 Heisman trophy. 

Dylan Raiola transferred to Oregon last week before the Ducks’ starter, Dante Moore, publicly announced his plans for the future. With Moore now planning to wait on the NFL Draft in favor of another year with the Ducks, Raiola is slated to use his redshirt and develop into Oregon’s quarterback of the future. 

If Raiola does indeed redshirt, he’d be limited to just four regular-season appearances and would have no chance of winning the award. That means Raiola’s 40-1 Heisman scenario involves Moore suffering a season-ending injury and Raiola playing a full year of superhuman football in his place.

With all due respect to Raiola, who was 247Sports’ No. 2 quarterback prospect in 2024, this feels like a slight against Williams Jr. and the Huskies. Are a great season for Washington and a disaster-turned-miracle for Oregon really equally likely? I don’t think so, but only time will tell.