Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. seamlessly leading program after awkward near-departure

SEATTLE (AP) — When Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. announced he was leaving the Huskies in January, only to change his mind two days later, it marked a tumultuous time for both him and the program.

At the time, coach Jedd Fisch said he was hopeful Washington fans would forgive Williams. In the ensuing months, Williams became more vocal and intentional with his teammates, setting aside time for laid-back activities like playing video games or going to a bowling alley.

In the process, the 20-year-old Williams has left his near-departure in the past. His fellow Huskies, meanwhile, say they never put much stock in the situation in the first place.

“We all kind of say the same thing about it: it’s ‘Who cares?’” running back Jayden Limar said. “It didn’t affect anyone on the team. No one really batted an eye … Who cares, really, at all? It is what it is. That’s our leader. That’s our dude. We rock with him.”

According to multiple reports, Washington was prepared to pursue legal options to enforce Williams’ lucrative name, image and likeness contract had he left back in January. Williams’ NIL deal exceeded $4 million, according to ESPN, and his potential departure raised questions about the validity of such contracts. Fisch told On3 that another program attempted to lure Williams away with an NIL offer worth an additional $2 million.

In February, a somber Williams said he made a mistake that resulted from “really bad advice.”

“I feel like where we are in college football is one of a kind,” Williams told The Associated Press. “There’s nobody you can really turn to for advice, necessarily, just ’cause nobody else has been through it. So, obviously, we know it’s a business.”

Such is the reality of the ever-evolving landscape of college football, where what once were unquestioned norms are now more open to discussion. In part because athletes can be paid directly by colleges, players are no longer as quickly chastised for exploring opportunities elsewhere.

Limar, who grew up 45 minutes north of Seattle but started his career at Oregon before transferring to Washington in January, can relate to what Williams went through on some level. Yet, Limar recognizes there are some distinct differences.

At Oregon, Limar never established himself as a starting running back, and transferred in large part to move closer to home. Limar did not speculate on whether he could have hypothetically returned to the Ducks the way Williams did with Washington, but recognizes the complexity of each individual’s circumstances.

“I knew where I wanted to go and it was pretty cut and dry,” Limar said. “But, there’s a lot of complicated situations out there.”

Wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck said it didn’t affect the team as much as people outside the program thought it did during Williams’ high-profile consideration of entering the transfer portal.

“At the end of the day, he’s the leader of this team. He leads us every Saturday,” said Roebuck, who has known Williams since grade school. “When he came back, we all knew what it was, and we knew he was going to lead our team. And, he definitely gained everybody’s trust back.

“But, it didn’t really faze the team as a whole. If anything, it made us come together closer.”

The optics of Williams contemplating an exit were not terrific. Ultimately, though, he elected to stay after his first full season as the Huskies’ starting quarterback, one in which he completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdown passes.

Like his teammates, what Williams wants most is for Washington to improve upon its 9-4 season, and leave behind what could have been a much more awkward transfer portal predicament.

“It’s super easy for me to stay here and feel comfortable with the coaching staff and everybody on the team,” Williams said, “as well as leading by example and letting people know my actions speak louder than my words.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to be here every single day, ready to work and ready to go and want to win football games.”

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