The Washington Huskies' quarterback of the future will now be a quarterback of the past.

According to various reports Jan. 6, including from ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Huskies sophomore signal-caller Demond Williams Jr. will enter the transfer portal.

Williams confirmed he would enter the portal in a post on Instagram (@demond.williamsII), where he shared the following message:

"First, I want to thank everyone in the Washington program for everything they have done for me. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Husky Nation.
I want to give a special thank you to Coach Fisch, Coach Dougherty, and Coach JP for believing in me and helping me grow both on and off the field.
I also want to thank my teammates for the memories, the hard work, and the relationships we built together. The friendships I've made here will last a lifetime, and I'll always appreciate the time we shared.
I also want to thank the fans and the Seattle community for the constant love and support during my time at Washington. I truly enjoyed my time over the past two years and am grateful for all the memories and experiences.
I have to do what is best for me and my future. After much thought and prayer, I will be entering the transfer portal.
Thank you."

According to Thamel's report, Williams will enter the portal with a do-not-contact tag, likely meaning his destination is already decided.

A report from Dave "Softy" Mahler of 93.3 FM KJR said he's hearing "a lot of smoke" about Williams potentially heading to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to play under new head coach Lane Kiffin at LSU.

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The news of Williams' departure via the portal is a surprising one. It was announced he signed with Washington to return in 2026 the first day the transfer portal opened Jan. 2.

Thamel reported the deal Williams signed with the Huskies was "near the top of the market."

This past season was Williams' first as a full-time starter. He led the Big Ten with 3,676 total yards.

Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran the ball 143 times for 611 yards and six touchdowns. 

Washington, in addition to trying to shore up the depth it already lost via the portal, will now be looking for a signal-caller to replace Williams for 2026.

Aside from Williams, the quarterbacks the Huskies currently have on their roster from 2025 are redshirt freshmen Dash Beierly and Treston "Kini" McMillan. The Dawgs also signed three-star QB Derek Zammit in the 2026 class.

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