Washington’s 2026 Season Is Built on Poor Decisions

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What makes Washington’s mediocre start to the 2026 campaign so frustrating is the core issue: poor decision-making. But that was bound to be the story of the season, wasn’t it?

Between quarterback Demond Williams’ offseason drama and head coach Jedd Fisch’s overall approach, the Huskies were doomed from the beginning.

Days removed from Washington’s loss to Minnesota, I asked myself a question: Will the Huskies improve this season after a bumpy start? To answer it, I point to a quote Jimbo Fisher once shared when he was Texas A&M’s football coach.

An irate Fisher sat at his press conference as upset as you’ll see a coach during an offseason. Alabama’s Nick Saban had given the impression that Alabama was morally superior to Texas A&M because Fisher’s program “bought every player on their roster.” The wholesome Crimson Tide hadn’t done so for a single player, as Saban told it.

In a rant in which Fisher called Saban a narcissist, he recalled a lesson his father had shared with him.

“When people show you who they are, believe them. He’s showing you who he is.”

Eventually, the two made up. But the handshakes and apologies they exchanged couldn’t repair the damage NIL had begun to do to relationships throughout college sports. 

Nothing sours a relationship in college sports faster than NIL. Every offseason, ugly headlines have become more frequent.

For the most part, Washington avoided the negative spotlight. It had offered enough money to pull players away from other schools, been outbid for others, and failed to retain some already in the program— the reality of every Power Four program. Even Washington’s infamous mass exodus after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama doesn’t fall under that category, because those departures largely stemmed from coaches leaving Montlake, not from funds offered elsewhere. 

The Huskies avoided the spotlight until they didn’t.

Jan. 6, 2026.

The date of Mia Hamant’s Celebration of Life. The former Husky goalkeeper had battled stage 4 kidney cancer before passing at just 21 years old. Three days after her death, the Huskies beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament. They celebrated the historic achievement with orange bows and heavy hearts. Washington went on to reach the Elite 8 and captured the sports world’s attention for its perseverance through tragedy and the way it 

honored its late teammate.

Hamant was the only Husky who mattered that day. Then Demond Williams became the biggest story in college sports by entering the transfer portal during the event.

My perception of who Williams is as a person has not changed. Yes, it was a horribly timed announcement, but it was also a mistake. He is human, after all. It was, however, an indictment of who Williams is as a decision-maker.

My guess? Another program sold Williams the ultimate dream. Rather than help Washington slip into Cinderella’s slipper and go on a run to the College Football Playoff, he could step into a QB1 role on a national championship contender and boost his odds of winning the Heisman Trophy.

I completely understand the temptation. It’s a hard offer to refuse. Here’s the problem, though. If he felt comfortable leaving Washington, why sign the contract before exploring those options? Why enter the transfer portal knowing he had signed a legally binding contract? Why not take every possible step to avoid burning bridges, just in case Washington chose not to release him from the agreement?

During the offseason, Williams showed signs of volatile decision-making. That volatility has carried into the season, where his play can feel like a coin flip between a highlight and a frustrating mistake.

Essentially, amid Williams’ voyage to the transfer portal, he crossed the bridge that started on Montlake and ended with future endeavors, struck a lighter, and tossed it over his shoulder. As if it were doused in gasoline, the bridge burned instantly.

His ties with Washington were severed. Husky Nation responded accordingly. Even Fisch’s wife, Amber, took aim at the young quarterback.

“Announces during a funeral of an athlete at the University of Washington how disgusting,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “While all of his former teammates were at the funeral!”

Jedd Fisch felt otherwise.

Over two days, Fisch and the university worked to rebuild the bridge. The threat of lawyers getting involved expedited the construction. The narrative is that Williams regretted the decision and came back to Washington to finish what he started. The reality is that Williams wouldn’t be a Husky if UW had left the decision up to him. So back across the bridge he walked, handcuffed to the legally binding contract that had paid him $4.7 million NOT to enter the portal in the first place.

I’m not saying Fisch had an easy decision to make. Throughout college football, few players have a ceiling as high as Williams because of his dual-threat ability. Though this season hasn’t gone as planned, Williams has shown flashes of brilliance. Letting a talent like that walk is incredibly difficult, regardless of whether he wants to stay. If UW let a bigger brand throw its weight around and poach Williams, what does that say about the program?

I’m sure those thoughts went through Fisch’s mind. But there were very obvious cons as well.

One point UW emphasized was that the locker room accepted Williams back as its leader right away. That would’ve been a big deal in 2016. These days, most players on the team know what it’s like to either enter the transfer portal or consider entering it. By spreading that message, the program indicated to fans that Husky Nation should forgive Williams because his teammates already had.

Surely, Fisch knew there was a chance Husky Nation wouldn’t forgive Williams. In life, time heals all wounds. In sports, results do. 

Every time an offensive drive fails to produce points, Husky fans will think of Williams’ brief stay in the transfer portal. The same will happen with every interception, fumble, sack, and loss. Every touchdown and positive play will be celebrated, but the reaction won’t carry the same intensity as the disgust toward his mistakes.

That is why burned bridges aren’t meant to be recrossed. Realistically, Williams won’t be viewed the same as he pre-Jan. 6.

With such potential negativity toward Williams, you would think Fisch would’ve spent an entire offseason building an offense that let the dynamic quarterback flourish. It’s hard to boo a guy if he’s winning games and looking great while doing it. You can turn on an LSU game and see how Lane Kiffin might have used Williams, given how he’s tailored the offense to Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt’s strengths. You can turn on an Alabama game and see how DeBoer has adjusted a scheme that once saw Michael Penix Jr. throw bombs downfield into a blend of pass plays and designed runs to maximize Keelon Russell’s playing style. If you turn on a Washington game, you’ll repeatedly watch Williams, one of the quickest quarterbacks in college football, emulate a pocket passer with noticeable discomfort.

That begs the question: If Fisch wanted Williams to be a pocket passer, why didn’t he let the quarterback walk and find a player who fits that mold in the portal?

An uncomfortable parallel:

If Fisch wanted to run a speed option to try to win the game on fourth down in his first Apple Cup, why did he have Will Rogers in the game instead of Williams?

A head coach’s poor scheme-related decisions put a quarterback with volatile decision-making in a situation where his internal clock becomes erratic. He’s already not a natural pocket passer, and the sacks are adding up.

Washington’s offensive game plan did not work against Washington State or Utah State. Now it’s supposed to work against Big Ten foes?

Washington’s offensive disorganization has reached a new high in the Fisch era, and it’s no coincidence that the staff doesn’t have an offensive coordinator. Again, the decision-making is appalling. The offense has desperately needed a new playcaller since Year 1, yet it doesn’t even have a coordinator. The quarterback who wanted to leave does not look like he’s enjoying his third season as a Husky. The program that desires a return to playoff football is moving the wrong way.

That said, I am not here to call for Fisch’s job. In my opinion, he’s done better than most would’ve, given the circumstances. Washington was a program stripped of momentum when DeBoer left, and Fisch brought in transfers from Arizona and elsewhere to keep the Huskies competitive. The Huskies would probably be further along if the original Pac-12 were still intact, so Fisch’s ability to reach bowl games in his first two seasons is especially impressive given the Big Ten’s overall prowess.

He needs to be better, though. His quarterback needs to be better as well.

Do I expect it to happen?

“When people show you who they are, believe them.”

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