'Fully committed' Demond Williams Jr. to stay at Washington - ESPN

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is returning to play at Washington in 2026, he announced on Instagram on Thursday night.

His decision concludes a frenetic 48 hours in which Williams announced his intent to transfer just days after signing a contract with the school that sources indicated to ESPN was for the mid-$4 million range for 2026.

The decision to transfer sent a ripple of shock through college sports, as it became a flashpoint for the validity of contracts. Sources at Washington made clear to ESPN that they were pursuing legal options to enforce Williams' contract.

Williams' expected destination was LSU, sources told ESPN, but any transfer would have taken significant legal wrangling. Both Washington and the Big Ten were prepared for a fight, and Williams soon became the focal point of the uncertain realities of modern college sports.

But Thursday night, just minutes after the start of the College Football Playoff national semifinal between Miami and Ole Miss, Williams reversed course and decided to stay.

«I am fully committed and focused on contributing to what we are building,» he wrote in the post.

A post shared by (Duh-Mond) (@demond.williamsll)

Williams also apologized that the timing of his initial announcement coincided with the celebration of life of UW women's soccer player Mia Hamant.

«I never intended to call attention away from such an important moment,» he wrote.

Williams, who will be a junior, will be one of the top handful of college quarterbacks next season. In his first season as a full-time starter, he threw for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.

The initial transfer announcement sent the Washington program scrambling, just days after issuing a