Washington Huskies star QB Demond Williams Jr. to enter transfer portal

Demond Williams Jr., the star sophomore quarterback long touted by coach Jedd Fisch as the future of Washington’s program and the centerpiece of UW’s hopes for a breakout 2026 campaign, announced he will enter the transfer portal Tuesday evening.

“I have to do what is best for me and my future,” he wrote in a statement posted on his social media accounts.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Williams will have a do-not-contact tag on his transfer portal entry. It’s a designation student-athletes can add signaling they do not want teams or coaches to initiate conversations with them allowing the student-athlete more control over their transfer recruitment.

Williams had previously signed a deal to return to Washington for the 2026 season, announced Jan. 2. Thamel reported UW will seek legal action to enforce Williams to fulfill his signed contract, and said the situation had drawn the attention of the Big Ten which has been vocal about previous incidents regarding the enforceability of these agreements following the Xavier Lucas’ controversial transfer from Wisconsin to Miami before the 2025 season.

It was the continuation of a relationship with Fisch and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty that dated back to the very beginning of their tenure together at Arizona. Just one month after Fisch was named Arizona’s head coach on Dec. 23, 2020, the Wildcats offered Williams, who’d just completed his sophomore season at Basha High.

That relationship helped Arizona flip Williams from Ole Miss, where he’d committed to Lane Kiffin on Dec. 30, 2022. It brought him with Fisch and Dougherty from Arizona to Washington before the 2024 season.

Fisch and the Huskies gave him opportunities immediately during his true freshman season. Despite maintaining a commitment from veteran transfer quarterback Will Rogers, Washington ensured Williams got substantial repetitions throughout 2024 before eventually naming him the starting quarterback during UW’s regular-season finale against Oregon.

Williams enjoyed a breakout performance a month later during UW’s 35-34 defeat against Louisville in the 2024 Sun Bowl. He passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns while adding 48 yards rushing and a touchdown with his legs, though Washington came up short after failing to complete a two-point conversion.

Fisch hailed Williams as a future Heisman Trophy candidate after the game, and gushed about his potential going forward.

“Demond is just getting started,” Fisch said after the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, 2024.

Williams was named a team captain before the 2025 season, and generally met the sky-high expectations placed on him.

He was selected as a 2025 All-Big Ten honorable mention by the conference’s coaches after completing 246 of his 354 passes for 3,065 yards passing and 25 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Williams added 611 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 143 carries, the third most productive season as a rusher by a UW quarterback in program history.

Williams also earned Offensive MVP honors after a four-touchdown performance during Washington’s 38-10 win against Mountain West champions Boise State in the LA Bowl Dec. 13.

But Williams endured some difficult moments during his first season as the undisputed starter. He was held to a season-low 129 yards passing during Washington’s 26-14 defeat against No. 5 Oregon on Nov. 29. Williams threw a career-high three interceptions during a road defeat against No. 18 Michigan on Oct. 18.

“I’ve never had a game like that,” Williams said Oct. 21. “Being able to just watch it back and just reflect and being able to build off it was super important.”

UW’s four losses in 2025 — against No. 2 Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and an upset loss on the road against four-win Wisconsin — coincided with William’s four least productive performances as a passer. He averaged just 161.3 yards passing per game during UW’s four losses in 2025, while averaging 268.9 yards passing per game during its nine wins.

His abrupt departure now throws Washington’s 2026 plans up in the air. Washington’s offense was built around Williams’ ability to make plays with both his arms and legs, as well as his strong propensity toward ball security.

Washington’s options at quarterback behind him are extremely inexperienced. Williams played 801 of UW’s 853 total offensive snaps in 2025. Fifth-year quarterback Kai Horton, who exhausted his eligibility during the past season, played 48 snaps. True freshmen Treston “Kini” McMillan and Dash Beierly made cameo appearances during the LA Bowl, their lone playing time in 2025.

The Huskies also have incoming freshman quarterback Derek Zammit, considered a four-star prospect and the No. 29 signal caller in the nation by the 247Sports composite rankings, who enrolled at UW Monday in time for winter quarter.

UW can also turn to the transfer portal, though many of the top quarterbacks have already committed elsewhere. Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, Florida’s DJ Lagway, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Auburn’s Deuce Knight and Missouri’s Beau Pribula are among the best uncommitted quarterbacks still in the portal.