Washington head coach Jedd Fisch came to the defense of quarterback Demond Williams Jr. on Wednesday, pushing back against the idea that there would be lasting repercussions from Williams’ brief decision to explore the transfer portal before opting to remain with the Huskies.
Williams initially revealed last week that he planned to enter the portal, only to reverse course two days later and announce his return to Washington. The situation drew widespread attention, particularly after reports indicated the university was prepared to explore legal avenues to uphold Williams’ name, image and likeness agreement. According to ESPN, the quarterback’s NIL deal was valued at more than $4 million, and his possible exit sparked debate about the enforceability of such contracts.
“The situation was in limbo for 48 hours,” Fisch told reporters in Seattle, making his first public comments since Williams recommitted. “It wasn’t in limbo for weeks or months. It wasn’t a situation where we were waiting for a mandatory veteran minicamp for a player to arrive.”
On Jan. 6, Williams announced on social media that he intended to leave Washington following his sophomore season, explaining, “I have to do what is best for me and my future.” The timing of that post upset many Huskies fans and coincided with a celebration of life held by the school for Mia Hamant, a women’s soccer goalkeeper who passed away after battling kidney cancer.
Fisch said Williams is expected to speak with the soccer team this week and noted that the quarterback has already issued a public apology.
“Over the past week, we’ve certainly found ourselves in the epicenter of college football,” Fisch said. “While there have been many questions, and I’m sure many of you have many questions, I want to start with this: There was no intention to distract from Mia Hamant’s celebration of life.”
Fisch expressed optimism that fans will eventually move past the incident, calling it a positive outcome that Williams returned alongside roughly 60 other players from a Washington team that went 9-4 last season and closed the year with a 38-10 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl.
The episode also highlighted ongoing concerns about the transfer portal and NIL era. Fisch likened the situation to contract disputes in the NFL, noting that fans often continue to support players who miss workouts over negotiations.
“I do believe that if we all look at it in the same way of what goes on currently in the NFL, there’s players that talk about contracts,” Fisch said. “There’s players that miss a weekend. There’s players that have held out after they signed, and then shown up three days later for a minicamp. Those guys still get rooted for.”
Fisch acknowledged that some relationships may need mending as the program continues to build momentum after improving from 6-7 in his first season to nine wins in his second.
“It’s going to get harder and harder to make bigger jumps, especially when we see what’s going on in this landscape,” Fisch said. “This landscape is insane.”
Williams, who completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, has since addressed teammates privately, according to Fisch.
“We really believe that we’re in a great place, and we’re going to get this better and better and better,” Fisch said. “And I tell our team all the time, I see better than I hear. So, the most important thing we can do is build back any trust through our actions, not our words.”
Walters returning
Fisch also confirmed that Washington has “re-signed” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who just completed his first season with the Huskies. Walters previously served as Purdue’s head coach for two seasons and had reportedly been entering the second year of a two-year deal with Washington.
Rest for Rashawn
Safety Rashawn Clark will sit out spring practices after suffering a shoulder injury late in the season, Fisch said. Clark, who recorded 21 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman, played in the bowl game and added two tackles and an interception despite the injury.