In January, Demond Williams Jr. was receiving significant backlash over his actions. The four-plus-million-dollar-rich quarterback signed with the Washington Huskies but days later, entered the transfer portal.

However, he exited the portal just as quickly. After the 48-hour conundrum, the quarterback shared where he stands on the team now.

“Continue to just try to be a great teammate and put the team first before anything else. I think that that's just super important for me,” he told Yogi Roth. “Where I'm at now, I think that just being way more vocal and talking to all the guys at just a much higher level. So, I think I just know everybody a lot better than I did before, even a year from now.”

The 20-year-old made his admission in the July 1 interview. While talking to Roth, he addressed the criticism he received for making the transfer portal move and how he’s learnt from it since.

The Huskies quarterback’s attempt to transfer to another school came at an inappropriate time. At the time of his announcement, most of the football team was at a memorial service for soccer player Mia Hamant.

She had lost her battle against kidney cancer. After William’s post went up, he faced the ire of the Huskies community. Head coach Jedd Fisch’s wife, Amber, even commented: “How disgusting!” on his Instagram post. 

It also didn’t help that Washington had offered him $4.7 million a year, one of the highest prices in college football. According to a CBS report, Williams’ father said that his son received a $6 million offer. 

“Sources indicate the schools of interest to the family were Alabama, LSU, Miami and Oregon,” the report said. 

Even his agent, Doug Hendrickson, was caught off guard by his announcement. He also represents head coach Fisch, making the situation all the more bizarre. Washington, however, refused to let him go, threatened legal action, and retained him eventually. 

What is Demond Williams Jr.’s role for the Huskies in 2026? 

Retaining Demond Williams Jr. was necessary for the Washington Huskies. After all, Williams is also one of the best quarterbacks entering the 2026 season.

In 2025, he passed for 3,065 yards and threw 25 passing touchdowns against eight interceptions. 

“Over Fisch's first two years, the Huskies have been looking to find more success away from Husky Stadium,” Roman Tomashoff of the UW Huskies Wire wrote. “Finding a way to win at least one of those three games starts with Williams, after the Huskies averaged 9.3 points per game and 4.3 yards per play in their four losses last year.”

The turnout of these away games heavily relies on Williams and how well he’s worked with the team since January. Will he replicate his past success this season? Tell us your thoughts in the comments. 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar