Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. won't be the first, or last, player to back out of the transfer portal, but his comments shined a light on problems in the process.
The Washington Huskies had a lot of their 2026 season hopes suddenly held in limbo when the transfer portal debacle with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. transpired this offseason. Four days after signing a $4 million NIL deal to return for the Huskies, Williams announced that he was entering the transfer portal with a no-contact tag. He reversed course two days later on Jan. 8 and re-committed to Washington, who were prepared to pursue legal avenues to enforce Williams’ contract.
It made fans rather frustrated at the events that dictated a chaotic January, and it showed how much money is dominating the college football landscape. It also showed that 19-year-olds are reactive, still developing, and vulnerable to bad advice. Williams spoke about what happened for the first time in a news conference alongside head coach Jedd Fisch and four teammates, confirming that he received just that. "Definitely being 19, you get good advice and you get really bad advice at times," Williams said.
Here is the full story from Huskies Roundtable writer Teren Kowatsch on the whole debacle and Williams comments that paint a better picture to move forward.
Williams admitted to making mistakes and spoke about his gratitude to his teammates and coaches for accepting him back after entering the portal. He declined to comment on whether it was the LSU Tigers who were trying to lure him and get him in the portal. It, for now, wraps up a saga that won’t be the first or last in college sports. Yes, the players are now making millions and should be accordingly treated as adults.
It’s still an astonishing amount of money to receive when people’s brains aren’t fully developed until 25 years old. That leaves them in a vulnerable place to have the wrong, unqualified agent in their ear, or pressure from family, and while Williams didn’t elaborate on the source of the bad advice, he is right to speak on it. It doesn’t erase what happened for fans, but that will come down the line with a hopeful successful season.