5 days ago
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Demond Williams is not leaving Washington after all.
The Huskies QB announced Thursday night that he would be returning to Washington for his junior year after “thoughtful reflection with his family.” Williams had started to explore leaving Washington earlier in the week despite signing a new NIL deal with the school after the start of the new year. LSU and new coach Lane Kiffin were heavily rumored to be courting Williams.
“After thoughtful reflection with my family, I am excited to announce that I will continue my football journey at the University of Washington,” Williams wrote in a social media post. “I am deeply grateful to my coaches, teammates and everyone in the program for fostering an environment where I can thrive both as an athlete and as an individual.
“I am fully committed and focused on contributing to what we are building.
“Additionally, I apologize that the timing of these events coincided with the celebration of life for Mia Hamant, a beloved member of our university community. I never intended to call attention away from such an important moment.
“I am excited to reunite with my teammates and to lead the University of Washington to success in the 2026 season and beyond.”
Hamant, a goalkeeper on the Washington soccer team, died in November. She had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer earlier in 2025. Her celebration of life was held Tuesday.
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Williams' announcement came after Washington immediately pushed back after reports emerged he could leave and hours after his agent, Doug Hendrickson, said that he was parting ways with Williams.
[Get more Huskies football news: Washington team feed]
Hendrickson also represents Washington coach Jedd Fisch.
“Over the last few days, Demond and I have engaged in very honest and heartfelt conversations about his present and future,” Fisch said in a statement. “We both agree that the University of Washington is the best place for him to continue his academic, athletic, and social development.
“I appreciate Demond’s statement. I support him, and we will work together to begin the process of repairing relationships and regaining the trust of the Husky community.”
Per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, Williams signed an NIL deal worth approximately $4 million earlier in January. The deal prohibited him from entering the transfer portal and, if he left the team, his new school would also suffer a financial penalty.
When news emerged Monday that Williams was looking to transfer, Washington indicated that it would do what it could to keep him at the school via the provisions in his contract and that it wanted to investigate if a team or teams had been in contact with Williams.
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Had he entered the transfer portal, Williams would have been the most coveted player available. He was 246-of-354 passing for 3,065 yards and 25 TDs across 13 games while also rushing 143 times for 611 yards and 6 scores.
That excellence was obviously a big reason why Washington wanted to keep him around any way that it could.
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