Washington lands 3 impactful signings amidst Williams Jr. fallout

The Demond Williams Jr. drama will overshadow anything else that happens to the Huskies this offseason. However, in the midst of all that scandal, Jedd Fisch and company have continued to make moves in the transfer portal. In the last two days, the Huskies have secured commitments from two defensive linemen and a kicker, all of whom come from the Group of 5 conferences.

DeSean Watts - Defensive Tackle, Sacramento State

Related: Joel Klatt calls out 'major tampering' in Demond Williams Jr.'s transfer situation

Watt, who committed to the Huskies on Tuesday night, has the kind of massive frame that could make him an immediate difference-maker on the interior of Washington’s depleted defensive front. At 6-foot-2 and 318 pounds, Watts has the size needed to hang in the always-physical Big Ten. 247Sports ranked him a three-star transfer with a grade of 85.

The Fresno, CA native originally redshirted at Fresno City Community College in 2023. He earned first-team All-Valley League honors there in 2024 after tallying 21 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks across 10 games. Watts transferred to Sacramento State for the 2025 season, where he’d start in 11/12 games and compile 36 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.

Now a Husky, Watts should have plenty of opportunity for playing time across his last two years of eligibility. Washington’s defensive line lost four seniors to graduation this offseason and recently saw both Bryce Butler and Caleb Smith enter the transfer portal.

Darin Conley - Defensive Tackle, Ball State

Conley, a 6-foot-3, 277-pound defensive tackle from Kansas City, will join Watts in UW’s defensive tackle rotation after spending his first three seasons with Ball State. He redshirted there in 2023 but appeared in 12 games in 2024, during which totaled 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a blocked extra-point attempt.

Conley then played 11 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, finishing with 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one pass defended. He earned a three-star transfer rating and grade of 85 from 247Sports after entering the portal, and he committed to the Huskies on Wednesday.

Tyler Robles - Kicker, Texas State

Robles began his collegiate kicking career with the USC Trojans in 2023, where as a redshirting freshman he converted one extra-point try and participated in three kickoffs. He didn’t see action as a redshirt freshman in 2024, prompting him to transfer to Texas State for the 2025 season.

There, Robles was successful on 21 of 23 (91.3%) field goal attempts and 53 of 54 (98.1%) extra-point tries. His only misses were a 54-yarder against Arizona State and a would-be game winner from 42 yards out against Troy. Robles initially made the Troy kick, but it was negated by a late timeout, and his second kick bounced off the near upright to send the game to an overtime Troy would then win.

Don’t get it twisted; Robles was incredibly accurate for the Bobcats last year. With longtime Huskies kicker Grady Gross now out of eligibility, Robles will be competing with senior Ethan Moczulski to be named Washington’s starting kicker. Robles could also sit behind Moczulski for a year, as he’ll be a junior in 2026.