Demond Williams’ new representation makes post amid college football controversy

There may not be a better representation of where college football is as a sport than the Demond Williams and Washington situation.

On Tuesday evening, the Huskies' starting quarterback announced that he had entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. However, the kicker of the whole situation was the fact that he had inked what ESPN's Pete Thamel revealed to be a $4 million deal with the program just four days earlier.

The situation is testing the NCAA's rules and what can actually be enforced, as Washington has already expressed that it plans to pursue legal action to enforce the contract. As for Williams, he has been linked to LSU from the moment he entered the portal, but clearly, not everyone is on board with his decisions.

Doug Hendrickson of Wasserman Football announced via social media that he will no longer be representing Williams, citing "philosophical differences."

Demond Williams’ agent, Doug Hendrickson of Wasserman Football, cuts ties with Williams. pic.twitter.com/u0nWcTcKei
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 8, 2026

Not too long after Hendrickson posted this note, Darren Heitner, took to X to reveal he is now the "legal counsel" for Williams.

"I have been retained as legal counsel for Demond Williams Jr. We have no public comment at this time," wrote Heitner. "Updates will be provided as appropriate."

Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2). — Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) warms up prior to the LA Bowl Game against the Boise State Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The other twist in this whole scenario was that Thamel initially reported on Tuesday that Cordell Landers was the one reaching out to programs on Williams's behalf. The same advisor who helped orchestrate the whole Nico Iamaleava situation at Tennessee.

"Per sources, one person who has contacted schools about Williams is Cordell Landers, who generally refers to himself as an adviser and loomed as one of the central figures in Iamaleava's departure from Tennessee," wrote Thamel. "Landers denied to ESPN that he is involved with Williams."

To take it a step further, Landers also took to X on Thursday to share a conversation he had with Williams' father, where the elder Williams calls Thamel a "liar" as a result of him including Landers in the situation.

I was thinking about not saying anything. These dudes from @On3sports will say and do anything for clicks. Creating false narratives is what they do. From and Demond dad. Wish you had me on this one. But like always it’s not true. Suck it EZ “Pete” https://t.co/6GOXjaeKya pic.twitter.com/6fM89m5HJB
— CoachCordell Landers (@TheRBCoach) January 8, 2026

This situation is clearly far from over, but it does feel safe to assume that Williams does plan to exit stage left in Seattle.

A former four-star recruit, Williams is ranked as the No. 4 quarterback and the No. 6 player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

His recruitment saw him commit to Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss before flipping to Arizona, and then following Jedd Fisch from Tucson to Washington.

In his first year as a starting quarterback, Williams threw for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 611 yards and six scores.