ROSEMONT, Ill. — Two former Friday Night Fever stars were honored by one of the top college football conferences in the nation due to their work on the gridiron this weekend.
Washington quarterback Demond Williams, the reigning FNF Offensive Player of the Year and former Basha Bear, was named the Big Ten freshman of the week while former Hamilton Husky and 2021 All-Fever Team member Russell Davis II was named the Big Ten co-defensive player of the week.
Williams was honored after coming in for injured quarterback Will Rogers and leading the Huskies on three scoring drives (one field goal and two touchdowns), including one that ended with a touchdown pass to Decker DeGraff in Washington's 31-19 win over UCLA.
Williams completed seven of his eight passes for 67 yards and the touchdown and he ran the ball six times for 31 yards.
Williams is one of the best quarterback prospects to come out of Arizona in recent years. He was a four-year starter at Basha High School in Chandler and led the Bears to their first-ever state champion, an Open Division state title, in 2022. Just last season, he threw for 3,250 yards and 34 touchdowns along with running the ball for 1,136 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named the 2023 Friday Night Fever Offensive Player of the Year and the All-Fever quarterback.
He originally signed with Arizona, but transferred to Washington after head coach Jedd Fisch left Tucson for Seattle.
Davis, who also goes by Deuce, shined on the defensive side of the ball for the Huskies, who became bowl eligible with the win over UCLA. He had three sacks along with forcing and recovering a fumble on the same play. That turnover led to Washington's second touchdown.
Davis spent his first two collegiate seasons at Arizona, playing in 23 games with the Wildcats and recording 28 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He is the son of nine-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl XLII champion Russell Davis, who played for the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants.
Davis also transferred to Washington after Fisch was hired as the head coach of the Huskies. He missed the first two months of this season due to injury.
This was the first weekly honor for both players.
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