Mere days after agreeing to a new deal with the University of Washington, Huskies quarterback Demond Williams officially announced that he was putting his name in the transfer portal as he weighed his options for the 2026 NCAA season.
Now normally, this wouldn't be a major issue; plenty of players jump ship after one year in the new college football NIL landscape, but Williams' case is different because of the legally binding agreement he signed with the school, an agreement ESPN's Pete Thamel believes could result in a trip to court before Williams can take the field again this fall.
“Demond Williams signed a deal to return to Washington last week. It will be interesting to see this unfolds with that deal at Washington in place. Sources indicated to ESPN that the deal he signed was near the top of the market,” Thamal wrote. “Washington sources say they are prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Demond Williams’ signed contract.”
How unprecedented would it be for Washington to sue a player who wants to leave their program? Pretty unprecedented, but not completely, as per Thamel, the Big Ten could step in just like their involvement in Xavier Lucas transferring to Miami after signing a deal with the Badgers.
“The situation with Demond Williams and his signed contract at Washington has drawn the attention of the Big Ten, per ESPN sources,” Thamel wrote. “The Big Ten was vocal in Xavier Lucas' controversial transfer to Miami from Wisconsin, supporting Wisconsin in trying to enforce the contract.”
Now, in Lucas' case, he did ultimately play for Miami in 2025, recording 59 tackles over the 14 games he appeared in. While only time will tell if Williams is able to leave Seattle or must instead honor his commitment, it's clear this new NIL world will continue to be battled out in the grey areas until something is formalized one way or the other.
