Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown passes against California during an NCAA college football game, Nov. 22, 2025, in Stanford, Calif. (Jed Jacobsohn / AP)
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Washington and coach Jedd Fisch are adding some experience to UW’s quarterback group entering 2026.
Elijah Brown, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Huntington Beach, Calif., announced he will transfer to Washington in a post on his social media accounts Monday.
Brown spent two seasons at Stanford, redshirting in 2024 before starting the Cardinal’s final three games of 2025. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
While the transfer portal closed Jan. 16, players who entered their name during the 15-day window can sign at any time. Brown announced his decision to transfer from Stanford on Jan. 13. He’s the 11th transfer player to join Washington since the portal window opened.
Brown was 102-for-175 passing for 1,103 yards and six touchdowns against five interceptions during his two seasons at Stanford. He totaled minus-119 yards rushing in nine career games.
Before signing with Stanford, Brown was considered a four-star prospect after spending four seasons playing at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei High. He completed 70.5% of his 891 passing attempts while registering 9,289 yards and 115 touchdowns against 16 interceptions during 44 games according to MaxPreps.
He was also a 2023 Elite 11 finalist, competing against Julian Sayin, Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway and current Husky starter Demond Williams Jr.
Brown’s exploits at Mater Dei made him a four-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He was the No. 16 quarterback, the No. 23 player in California and the No. 247 recruit nationally.
He chose Stanford over UCLA, but also had offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, USC, Utah and Washington, coached at the time by Kalen DeBoer. Brown was also offered by Fisch and Jimmie Dougherty, UW’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, while at Arizona.
After playing three games and making one start while redshirting his first season at Stanford, Brown competed with former Oregon State quarterback Ben Gulbranson, a sixth-year senior, to replace departing starter Ashton Daniels, who transferred to Auburn.
Gulbranson won the starting job during fall camp, but suffered a knee injury during the second quarter against Florida State on Oct. 18. Brown entered for his first snaps of the season, went 6-for-12 passing for 71 yards, and didn’t turn the ball over as Stanford upset FSU 20-13.
Interim coach Frank Reich opted to give Gulbranson another opportunity during Stanford’s next game against a ranked Miami team. But after throwing two interceptions in a 42-7 blowout loss against the eventual national runner-up, Gulbranson threw three interceptions during a 35-20 defeat against Pittsburgh. He was benched for Brown, who led Stanford’s only scoring drive of the second half, partway through the third quarter.
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Brown was named Stanford’s full-time starter on Nov. 3. During his three starts — against Bill Belichick’s North Carolina, cross-bay rivals California and ranked Notre Dame — Brown 55-for-96 passing for 611 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
His best performance came against a Tar Heel defense directed by former Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick. Brown racked up a career-high 284 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception while completing 27 of his 39 pass attempts. Stanford’s furious fourth-quarter comeback, however, came up short as the Cardinal lost 20-15.
A week later, Brown overcame a slow start to lead three second-half scoring drives and help the Cardinal reclaim the Stanford Axe with a 31-10 win against the Golden Bears. It was Stanford’s first Big Game win against Cal since 2020. Brown passed for 123 yards and a touchdown while going 10-for-20 passing. A week later, he totaled 204 yards passing in a 49-20 blowout loss against Notre Dame.
At Washington, Brown will compete with redshirt freshmen Treston “Kini” McMillan and Dash Beierly, along with true freshman Derek Zammit, to replace Kai Horton as UW’s second-choice quarterback behind Williams, UW’s established starter. Horton, a Tulane transfer, exhausted his eligibility in 2025.
McMillan and Beierly each made their UW debuts during Washington’s 38-10 win against Boise State in the LA Bowl. Zammit, a composite four-star prospect, enrolled in January for winter quarter. Beierly notably replaced Brown at Mater Dei in 2024, transferring in from Chaparral High in Temecula, Calif., to play for the Monarchs after Brown’s departure.
Fisch noted during a news conference on Jan. 14 that he’d like to add one transfer quarterback, but said McMillan and Beierly have earned the opportunity to compete for the No. 2 job with any newcomers like Brown.
Additionally, Fisch noted any prospects committing after Jan. 14 likely won’t be able to enroll at UW for winter quarter, meaning they won’t be able to join the team until the spring quarter. Kennesaw State wide receiver Christian Moss is the only other player to commit to the Huskies since Fisch’s news conference, along with Brown.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
