Demond Williams Jr. announced his decision to enter the transfer portal during a celebration of life for Washington women’s soccer player Mia Hamant. It was an awful look.
The timing of his post was either intentional, to avoid a hard conversation, or a truly horrendous failure in terms of public relations.
This latest college football saga is already sending shockwaves across the entire sport. The optics cannot get much worse for all of the involved parties.
Demond Williams entered the transfer portal.
At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Williams was rated as a four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2024. He initially committed to Arizona as a native of the Grand Canyon State. The duel-threat quarterback later transferred to Washington when head coach Jedd Fisch left Tucson for Seattle.
Williams completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns with only eight interceptions as the starter for the Huskies in 2025. He also ran for 611 yards and six touchdowns.
The rising junior will have two years of eligibility remaining.
According to Washington, Williams re-signed with the program last week. He agreed to one of the most lucrative NIL deals in the country to stay with the Huskies next season. It was a very big domino to fall.
And then it all came crashing down on Tuesday night.
Demond Williams, less than 10 days after signing a new contract with Washington, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. The 19-year-old “has to do what is best for him and his family.”
His wording implies a bigger financial offer from an outside suitor. That outside suitor appears to be LSU.
The timing of his announcement was horrible.
Demond Williams announced his entry into the transfer portal around 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday night. The coaching staff at Washington was completely blindsided.
They were also right in the middle of a celebration of life.
Washington women’s soccer goalkeeper Mia Hamant tragically passed away from cancer in November. The community gathered together on Tuesday to remember her legacy. It was a beautiful tribute.
Players on the football team were in attendance. As was the coaching staff.
Williams was not with them. Although his attendance was not required, his decision to announce his entry into the transfer portal just moments after the ceremony concluded (and/or during the closing moments of the ceremony) reflects back on his character.
Jedd Fisch’s wife offered the following statement:
“Announces during a funeral of an athlete at University of Washington how disgusting! While all of his other teammates were at the funeral!”
This was either a major miscalculation by his representation or a major oversight by Demond Williams. Either way, it was an awful look.