Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch had his first press conference of the offseason on Wednesday, and as expected, most of the half-hour event revolved around Demond Williams Jr., who took the college football world by entering and exiting the transfer portal last week.
Fisch began by addressing the timing of Williams Jr.’s announcement to transfer, which angered many because it occurred during late Washington goalkeeper Mia Hamant’s celebration of life. To hear more on his and Williams Jr.’s responses regarding Hamant’s celebration of life, read my article from yesterday here.
Jedd Fisch says conversations with Demond Williams Jr. made re-commitment the obvious choice
After reiterating Williams Jr.’s written apology to Hamant and her community, Fisch presented a statement in support of his rising junior quarterback.
“The decisions that have been made go way beyond football, and the pressures that players are under right now to make very fast decisions sometimes can lead to setbacks,” Fisch said. “However, when we spoke…it became very clear that the best choice for Demond, and for the University of Washington, was for him to return and for him to lead our team out through the tunnel [for] the first game of the year.”
Fisch also said that those conversations were not strictly focused on Williams Jr.’s finances. Fisch, who repeatedly voiced his support for Williams Jr. as both a person and a player, also noted that Williams Jr.’s multi-year history with the program was an advantage not to be discarded.
“This was not just about a contract,” Fisch said. “This was about everybody looking at the entire scenario and saying, ‘this is the best thing for Demond, this is the best thing for Washington football.’ We had a great talk, and I think Demond spoke to the players, and everybody understands that we’re in a good place moving forward.”
Fisch says Williams Jr. is communicating, bonding with teammates and staff following transfer portal scare
Fisch explained that in the wake of Williams Jr.’s re-commitment, the Huskies have engaged in similar open discussions in order to rebuild any bridges which may have been burnt inside the program.
“Obviously, we have worked very hard to repair any broken connections, mend any fences, and certainly we hope this will lead us to greater success,” Fisch said. “Our football team has approached the last week thoughtfully. We’ve engaged in meaningful conversations with one another, with the coaching staff, and with Demond.”
Fisch also said that although “the situation was in limbo for 48 hours”, Williams Jr. has resumed normal team activities.
“[Williams Jr.] is back with the team, participating. I think they had a lift on Monday,” Fisch said. “I know he’s spent time with players. I think they’ve done some things socially outside of the building.”
Fisch takes shot at Williams Jr.’s rumored suitors but denies direct knowledge
Fisch didn’t provide much clarity regarding why Williams Jr. was tempted to renege on his contract. However, what he did say regarding other programs will only strengthen the rumors that were spreading at the time.
“I don’t even know what exactly happened,” Fisch said, before immediately insinuating that he had a pretty good idea. “I think that there was a lot of speculation on who was getting involved and who was trying to get involved. I don’t think it’s hard to kind of figure out through just what was going on in that moment in time in college football, and who was looking for an elite quarterback. I don’t think that’s that confusing.”
Despite sending some mixed signals there, Fisch downplayed any interactions that Williams Jr. may have had with other schools.
“There was no visit, there was no him seeing and talking to another coach, there wasn’t a spot where he was saying, ‘Hey, I want to at least push the limits here and I wanna go talk to another [school]’...we didn’t get to any of that,” Fisch said. “We just had a couple days of some pretty heartfelt conversations and talked about how we got to where we are, where we want to go, what we want it to look like, and how we’re going to do this together.”
Fisch stated that losing Williams Jr. “was not part of the thought process”, and downplayed the action Washington took during Williams Jr.’s two-day leave, including bringing in Beau Pribula for a visit, as being a necessary step.
“Obviously, everybody talks about everything during that time. You have to prepare for any scenario that might occur,” Fisch said. “But I really believe that it was a pause. It was a pause, and it was a regroup.”