Notebook: Former UW QB Demond Williams Jr.’s agent drops him over ‘philosophical differences’
SEATTLE – Doug Hendrickson, the Wasserman football agent who represented Demond Williams Jr., announced Thursday he is ending his relationship with Williams, effective immediately.
Hendrickson, who also represents UW coach Jedd Fisch, said the decision was “due to philosophical differences” in a statement on his social media accounts. Wasserman also represents several other Washington players.
“Demond is an incredible talent,” he wrote, “and we wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
Hendrickson’s announcement comes less than a day after ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wasserman had been “blindsided” by Williams’ decision to transfer after helping negotiate the one-year, $4-million contract to stay at UW for 2026. Thamel also reported any outreach from Williams’ camp to interested schools did not come from the agency.
Washington continues to pursue all legal avenues “to protect our institution,” a UW spokesperson told The Seattle Times Wednesday. UW’s boilerplate name, image and likeness (NIL) license agreements say the university is not obligated to enter a player’s name in the transfer portal or help facilitate a transfer. UW had not entered Williams’ name in the portal as of Wednesday.
Additionally, legally enforcing the NIL license agreement means UW retains possession of Williams’ NIL rights, the same rights any new school will be paying him for since the license agreements specify they are not employment contracts.
If Williams wants to be paid through revenue sharing, and not exclusively third-party NIL, at a new program, he’ll need his NIL rights back from Washington, which may seek a buyout to return them.
And while Hendrickson and Wasserman have separated from Williams, attorney Darren Heitner, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced he’d been retained as legal counsel by the former UW quarterback.
Heitner, most relevantly, also represents Xavier Lucas, the defensive back whose controversial transfer from Wisconsin to Miami led to the Badgers filing a court complaint against the Hurricanes in June, 2025.
Lucas did not utilize the transfer portal to move from Wisconsin to Miami. Instead, he simply withdrew as a student at Wisconsin before enrolling at Miami. Wisconsin’s lawsuit against Miami is still ongoing.
Former Missouri QB Beau Pribula visits
Washington wasted no time beginning its search for Demond Williams Jr.’s replacement.
UW on Wednesday reportedly hosted Beau Pribula, the former Missouri and Penn State quarterback, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The visit came less than 24 hours after Williams’ shocking announcement about his intentions to transfer.
Pribula, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound quarterback from York, Pa., spent the past season with the Tigers. He was named a captain and started 10 games, completing 182 of his 270 pass attempts for 1,941 yards passing and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Pribula also rushed for 297 yards and six touchdowns on 95 carries, despite dislocating his left ankle in late October — an injury that kept him out until Nov. 22.
Missouri went 7-3 during games where Pribula appeared.
Washington got an up-close-and-personal look at Pribula in 2024 when he played for Penn State as a change-of-pace quarterback relieving starting quarterback Drew Allar. Pribula took his lone carry eight yards to the end zone to open the scoring in a game the Nittany Lions won convincingly 35-6.
He also gained notoriety for entering the transfer portal shortly before Penn State hosted SMU in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. Pribula’s decision was defended by then-Nittany Lions coach James Franklin, who said it was a symptom of a poorly constructed college football calendar that left Pribula with no other options.
“We got problems in college football, and I can give you my word Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season,” Franklin told reporters Dec. 16, 2024. “But the way the portal is and the timing of it and the way our team is playing, and when you play the position of quarterback and there’s only one spot and those spots are filling up, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation, and I agree with him.
“No. 1, I hate it, most importantly for Beau Pribula. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the student-athlete, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of college football.”
Pribula played in 24 games during two seasons at Penn State. He was 37-for-56 passing for 424 yards and nine touchdowns against one interception with the Nittany Lions. Pribula also rushed for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 carries. He has one season of eligibility remaining.