Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch before a college football game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch understands his quarterback needs to rebuild some important bridges.
Late during the evening of Jan. 6, Demond Williams Jr. — the rising junior quarterback who Fisch pinned the hopes of Husky nation on during his true freshman season in 2024 — announced he intended to enter the transfer portal. A whirlwind 48 hours ensued and eventually led Williams back to Washington.
“The decisions that have been made go way beyond football,” Fisch said Wednesday. “And the pressures players are under right now to make very fast decisions sometimes can lead to setbacks. However, when we spoke, the reflection he had, the pause that we had, it became very clear that the best choice for Demond and for the University of Washington was for him to return and for him to lead the team out of the tunnel for the first game of the year.”
Fisch spoke to assembled media for the first time since Williams’ transfer portal ordeal, though he previously commented on the situation during a KJR radio show on Jan. 9. And while Fisch recognized his prodigal quarterback must regain the trust of teammates, coaches, athletic department staffers, donors and a disgruntled fan base, Fisch said he hopes people have some empathy for Williams, too.
“Obviously, we have to work very hard to repair any broken connections, mend any fences,” Fisch said. “And certainly, we hope this will lead us to greater success.”
Rebuilding those relationships, Fisch said, starts with representing UW well on and off the field. While UW won’t play its first game of the 2026 season until Sept. 5, Fisch said high academic achievement — the football team posted a program-record 3.31 grade-point average — and being present in the Greater Seattle and university community can help assuage some of the frustrated feelings surrounding Williams’ transfer portal saga.
It also means addressing one of the most notable errors Williams made when he thought he was leaving.
His transfer announcement coincided with the end of the celebration of life UW athletics was holding for women’s soccer player Mia Hamant, who died in November after a monthslong ordeal with kidney cancer. Williams apologized for the poor timing in his announcement that he was returning, and Fisch reiterated that the quarterback had no intention to take attention away from Hamant’s memorial.
Washington women’s soccer coach Nicole Van Dyke and Kevin Hamant, Mia’s father, confirmed to The Seattle Times that Fisch apologized to them for the incident during the aftermath of Williams’ announcement. And the UW football coach said Williams, who is back on campus this week, will meet with the women’s soccer team to apologize during the next few days.
“He sincerely apologized for the timing that coincided with such an important occasion,” Fisch said, “and never wanted to be a distraction.”
And while Williams begins attempting to earn back the trust of the greater community, Fisch praised the rest of the team for handling the entire situation with maturity.
The UW coach noted Williams was only absent from campus for a few days as the transfer situation evolved, and never visited any other programs. Fisch said the team’s only concerns upon Williams’ return was how committed he was to a successful 2026, so it’s been fairly simple to reintegrate him back into the team as they begin winter workouts.
“The situation was in limbo for 48 hours,” Fisch said. “It wasn’t in limbo for weeks or months. It wasn’t a situation where we were waiting at a mandatory veteran minicamp for a player to arrive.”
Fisch also said he hopes Williams’ situation helps push college football forward toward a more sustainable future because it proved the name, image and likeness (NIL) license agreement that the quarterback signed was legally binding enough to help keep Williams in Seattle.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported Williams would’ve been required to pay back the entire value of his signed contract — $4 million, a source with knowledge of the deal previously told The Times — and the program he transferred to would’ve lost some of its revenue-sharing pool because of House v. NCAA settlement guidelines.
Fisch emphasized that Williams chose to stay because it was the best decision for everyone involved, but also added players are being forced into extremely difficult situations because of college football’s vast uncertainties.
“We just have to reimagine the world that we’re in and look at it more in terms of what we’re learning,” Fisch said. “We’re asking 18-22 year olds to make decisions that 26-35 year olds struggle with.”
Extra points
- Fisch announced the nine transfers UW has already officially signed — offensive tackle Kolt Dieterich, punter Hunter Green, defensive tackle DeSean Watts, defensive tackle Darin Conley, kicker Tyler Robles, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, defensive tackle Kai McClendon, edge rusher Logan George and running back Jayden Limar — have all enrolled in time for winter quarter. Any new portal additions will not be able to enroll until spring quarter.
- Fifth-year edge rusher Russell Davis II is on schedule for his return from the patellar tendon injury that cost him the entire 2025 season, Fisch said. Davis will likely be limited to individual work throughout spring practices before ramping up in May.
- Fisch said fifth-year linebacker Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah won’t be cleared to return from his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury until fall camp.
- Sophomore defensive back Rahim Wright II is fully cleared to participate in winter conditioning after missing the past season with an upper body injury, Fisch said.
- Junior tight end Kade Eldridge’s status for spring practices is still uncertain, Fisch said, as the Lynden native recovers from the Lisfranc injury he suffered against No. 18 Michigan Oct. 18. Fisch said Eldridge will likely be able to fully participate in fall camp.
- Sophomore defensive back and starting nickel Rahshawn Clark will not participate in spring practices after undergoing an offseason procedure on his shoulder.
- Washington will open spring practices around April 1, Fisch said.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
