By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Huskies’ head coach answers questions about QB Demond Williams

The Washington Huskies handled a unique situation last week in the transfer portal regarding starting QB Demond Williams. Head coach Jedd Fisch held a press conference on Wednesday to address questions about his quarterback. The press briefing was the first time the Huskies’ head coach talked about Williams following last week’s portal situation. Washington’s starting QB briefly attempted to enter the transfer portal for 48 hours before deciding to return to the program. At the media briefing, Fisch made a statement about the events that transpired, answered questions about the path forward for Williams and the team, and discussed what needs to change in college football.

Huskies’ head coach delivers a statement before taking questions

Jedd Fisch went right to what was on everyone’s mind when he took the podium for his press conference. Washington’s head coach delivered a well-thought-out statement about everything that went down last week concerning Demond Williams:

“Over the past week, we’ve certainly found ourselves in the epicenter of college football. While there have been many questions, and I’m sure a lot of you guys have questions, I want to start with this. There was no intention to distract from Mia Hamant’s celebration of life. As Demond mentioned in his statement, he’s sincerely apologized for the timing that coincided with such an important occasion and never wanted to be a distraction. I spoke with coach Van Dyke, I spoke with Mia’s mom and dad, Demond will speak with the soccer team this week, and certainly we all apologize for that unfortunate event. Despite the challenges of navigating through the complexities of college football in 2026, we remain very optimistic about our future.

Demond is 19 years old, and as we’ve seen, many players are entering the portal and switching teams. Notably, all four quarterbacks in college football playoff semi-finals were transfers. Were determined to defy that trend…The decisions that will have been made go way beyond football and the pressures that players are under right now to make very fast decisions, sometimes can lead to setbacks. However, when we spoke, the reflection that 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 lead our team, out through the tunnel, the first game of the year”, said Fisch.

Williams’ decision to enter the portal came at an unfortunate time when the University of Washington was celebrating the life of fallen soccer player Mia Hamant. He has since apologized, the football program has apologized, and Williams himself will now speak to the soccer program about the incident. Fisch added that he and Williams paused to reflect on what the quarterback’s future at the program would look like. Following Fisch’s discussions with his QB, Williams concluded that staying at Washington was the best for him and the program. Washington’s head coach then confirmed that Williams will be the Huskies’ QB in 2026.

Huskies’ head coach talks about his QB’s interactions with teammates since he decided to come back

Even though Williams has decided to return to the program, questions remain about his ability to regain respect from his teammates. Fisch discussed his QB’s interactions with the team since he decided to return:

“Working out. They’re working out. They were throwing today. Yeah, I mean, he was, you know, let’s call it, the situation was in limbo for 48 hours. It wasn’t in limbo for weeks or months. It wasn’t a situation where we were waiting for a mandatory veteran mini-camp for a player to arrive. The great part about being in Seattle is that there’s an NFL team here. So this is an experience that guys have experienced often. There’s been plenty of times where a player has wound up, you know, missing a voluntary camp. We don’t have that. We have two days. So he is back with the team participating. I think they’ve done something socially outside of the building”, said Fisch.

Williams appears to have re-acclimated quickly to the team following his decision to return. During the events that transpired last week, most of the responses to his choice to leave among teammates were positive. Williams’ decision to return took just two days for him to make up his mind to come back to the school. In the days that have followed, Fisch has reiterated that practices are going on as usual. Fortunately, for Williams and the Huskies, there is plenty of time for him to make any necessary amends in the locker room with the first game a little less than eight months away. The Husky QB is already back to throwing the ball around and socializing with his teammates, which is an encouraging sign.

Jedd Fisch spoke about what he wants college football to change following the situation with his QB

The Huskies’ head coach noted during his press conference how the college football landscape is “insane.” This is what Fisch wants to see college football learn from this, and what should be done going forward:

“So I think the most important thing we can do is get the calendar more consistent…We have TV contracts that bring us into January, but we are playing this year’s National Championship and next year’s National Championship, January 19th and January 25th. That’s a challenge. I’m a huge proponent of moving the transfer portal. I believe we have to move it to spring… I also believe that what we need to do, we need to make sure contracts matter. And that starts with the head coaches’ contracts and all the way through. In pro football, no head coach can go leave for another head coaching job in the NFL. That can’t happen. So I believe we should start looking at ways to slow down that movement. I think after that we shouldn’t be able to do any interviews until after the season is over. I think that will really help, because if we send the right message as head coaches, then players will learn our message… But we have to do a better job of having better regulation, all being on the same page. It starts with the participation agreement”, said Fisch.

In the NFL, free agency does not begin until a month after the Super Bowl is played. For college football, the transfer portal window is open while the playoffs are currently happening. Moving the transfer portal calendar to spring will allow the season to play out before players can decide when to leave their schools. College football also needs better regulations and standards involving contracts. In the future, rules and guidelines for contracts must be stricter to prevent tampering and poaching, not just for players but also for coaches. Washington was fortunate to have a strong administration and conference to support them in keeping Demond Williams at the university. Another school in the future may not be so lucky.

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