By Sam Jane, Chris Vannini, Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo

Just days after Demond Williams Jr. signed a contract with Washington to return to Seattle for his junior season, the quarterback reversed course and announced Tuesday night he would enter the transfer portal.

The shocking decision sends ripples through the Washington program and the college football transfer portal. Williams had signed a contract agreeing to return to the Huskies, a Washington source close to the negotiations told The Athletic on Tuesday night. Yet, Williams said on Instagram that transferring was “best for me and my future.”

Washington has no intention of releasing Williams from the contract he signed on Jan. 2, a program source told The Athletic. The dispute could lead to a messy debate over the circumstances surrounding Williams’ status.

Williams, however, had not filed any paperwork with Washington compliance officers to have his name entered into the portal before making his announcement on social media.

As of now, nothing has been submitted.

Washington is prepared to pursue legal action to enforce the terms of the contract, according to a person briefed on the situation.

There have been several recent examples of schools taking issue with player transfers. After cornerback Xavier Lucas transferred from Wisconsin to Miami, Wisconsin said Lucas had entered into a “binding two-year NIL agreement” that included “substantial financial compensation” and allegedly attempted to prevent him from transferring. Georgia’s athletic department is also seeking $390,000 from former defensive end Damon Wilson II, claiming his transfer to Missouri terminated his name, image and likeness agreement with the Bulldogs’ collective.

Williams and Washington head coach Jedd Fisch share the same agent at Wasserman football.

Williams followed Fisch to Seattle two years ago after committing to Arizona out of high school. However, before signing with Fisch at Arizona, Williams initially committed to Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin in late 2022. He de-committed the following summer. Williams started the 2025 season, with Fisch not holding back the hype for his quarterback entering the season.

“I would probably say, at this age, not even 19, he’s the best player I’ve ever been around,” Fisch said on the Until Saturday podcast last spring. “… My goal from when I started recruiting him in high school, and I told him this, we’re going to partner up and find a way to be in New York City when it’s time for the Heisman.”

Williams threw for 4,009 yards and 33 touchdowns against nine interceptions while adding 893 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 26 career games at Washington. In his first season as the starter, he passed for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns, earning All–Big Ten honorable mention honors.

After a four-touchdown performance in Washington’s blowout win over Boise State in the Bucked Up LA Bowl, Williams seemed poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten this year.

“He does have incredible potential,” Fisch said. “He’s not loud, but I would say he is vocal. He speaks softly and carries a big stick. He’s not going to yell or scream and do all those things that you necessarily would need him to do, but he leads by example. He works his tail off. He never misses anything. He’s constantly involved with the team. He knows when to take the right reps. He knows when to jump in, jump out. So all that being equal, I think his leadership skills are certainly good enough.”

Now Williams says he is moving on. Williams is entering the portal with a do-not-contact tag, according to ESPN, meaning Williams likely already has a landing spot in mind. Notable schools that are currently or could be in the quarterback market include LSU, Miami and potentially Oregon. He instantly becomes one of the top players available in the transfer market.

Washington, which played in the 2023 national championship game under Kalen DeBoer, is 15-11 under Fisch in the last two years, including 9-4 this past season. This would be a major loss for the program.

iStockphoto / © Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State football landed a major upgrade at quarterback in the transfer portal with the commitment of Drew Mestemaker. The North Texas product was the nation’s top passer in 2025.

He will now look to continue his success at the Power 4 level with the Cowboys. He will be paid handsomely upon arriving to Stillwater.

Mestemaker’s story is one of the best in college football. He’s quickly gone from unlikely contributor to one of the sport’s most intriguing prospects.

He entered the transfer portal after his redshirt freshman season with the Mean Green. That move came after his head coach, Eric Morris, was hired by Oklahoma State.

The quarterback opted to follow Morris to the Big 12.

Who is Drew Mestemaker?

The passer was a lowly rated recruit in the 2024 cycle. He made more headlines as a punter and safety than as a quarterback. He walked on at North Texas having not started a football game under center since his ninth-grade season.

Mestemaker sat on the sidelines as a rookie, not making his first start until the team’s bowl game matchup against Texas State. In that debut, he shined.

The signal caller accounted for nearly 450 yards of total offense in a narrow postseason defeat.

The performance provided fans with their first introduction to the talented gunslinger. He put the college football world on notice in 2025.

Mestemaker led the country in yardage as the nation’s only 4,000-yard passer. He threw 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions while leading the Mean Green to a 12-win season.

He hoped to turn that success into a new opportunity at season’s end and quickly jumped at the chance to cash in with Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys offered $7.5 million.

According to Bill Haisten of Tulsa World, Drew Mestemaker landed a two-year deal to take his talents to Stillwater. In Year 1, he is expected to earn a salary of $3.5 million.

That number increases to $4 million should he stay on to lead the team in 2027.

Haisten reports that a single Oklahoma State booster pledged the money to pay for the quarterback’s transfer. While the financier remains anonymous, the writer says the donor hails from the Oklahoma City area.

The Cowboys had to compete with the likes of Indiana and Oregon to secure Mestemaker’s commitment. The hiring of his head coach played a positive role in that recruitment.

The money didn’t hurt either!

Mestemaker’s massive NIL deal signals a shift in the school’s player payment thinking. The Cowboys have caught up in the new landscape of college sports.

Previous coach Mike Gundy claimed to have only had “around $7 million” for his entire roster across his last three seasons in Stillwater. Oklahoma State’s new quarterback could exceed that number on his own by the time he leaves campus.

For Drew Mestemaker, it’s something that didn’t appear possible just two seasons ago. He’s gone from walk-on to millionaire seemingly overnight.

Oklahoma State will lean heavily on their new football star in hopes of righting the ship under a new coaching staff.

The 2026 NCAA transfer portal has opened for all college football players seeking different surroundings. The portal opened on Friday and will remain so until Jan. 16.

Over 3,000 college football players have chosen to transfer to new programs for the 2026 season. While the headlines have focused on quarterbacks in the 2026 transfer portal cycle, many important offensive skill players are also on the move across the college football landscape.

The most important of these offensive skill players in the transfer portal is former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his second school.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pounder was recruited by Hugh Freeze to Auburn in the Tigers’ 2024 recruiting class. Coleman appeared in 10 games during his freshman season, grabbing 37 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He was voted to the SEC All-Freshman Team by his coaches that season.

Coleman saw an increase in production with the Tigers in the 2025 season. He made 56 catches for a team-high 708 yards and five touchdowns. Auburn finished the season 5-7, and Freeze was let go following the Tigers’ home loss to Kentucky.

Auburn hired former USF head coach Alex Golesh as its next head coach in late November. Coleman is one of a bevy of players from Auburn’s 2025 roster who have entered the transfer portal following Golesh’s hiring.

Coleman was a consensus five-star prospect in his initial recruitment to Auburn, ranking as the No. 2 receiver in the class of 2024. As a transfer, Coleman has the No. 1 overall ranking of receivers in the 2026 portal cycle.

While Coleman has been linked to several major programs in college football and will likely receive considerable compensation at his next stop, NIL packages are not among his top priorities in the portal. Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Coleman is visiting a handful of Power Four programs but is not likely to make a decision solely based on monetary value.

“There is confidence in multiple camps that they can offer the best opportunity for Coleman,” Nakos said. “Money is not going to be the deciding factor in this recruitment, even though sources have said his deal could be in the $2 million range.”

Texas A&M was the first of a trio of visits Coleman had set in the portal. He was committed to the Aggies for four months before flipping to Auburn on Early Signing Day in the 2024 recruitment cycle. Additional visits include stops at Texas Tech and USC, a pair of programs looking to stock up on wide receivers after losses in the offseason.

The NCAA transfer portal and the allowance of players to be paid for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) are undoubtedly the biggest driving forces behind the changes in college football.

The era of players waiting their turn at one school to play, or certain programs building dynasties off of being the best at paying players under the table, is no more. Now, programs that can get donors to scrounge together the most cash are in prime position to contend, which has led to new-age powerhouses like Indiana, Texas Tech and Ole Miss emerging.

With the NCAA transfer portal opening on Jan. 2, there have already been over 4,000 entries, but not every player will be getting the big bucks. The caliber at the top of the portal is as high as we have ever seen it, and some of college football’s most valuable players have found, or are in the process of looking for a new landing spot.

That said, let’s take a look at the players in the NCAA transfer portal with some of the highest NIL valuations, according to On3.

Byrum Brown (Auburn via USF)

To the surprise of no one, Byrum Brown followed his head coach, Alex Golesh, to Auburn. The 6-foot-3 dual-threat quarterback threw for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 more scores en route to leading the Bulls to a 9-3 regular season record.

NIL Valuation: $1.6 million

Beau Pribula (Missouri), Cam Coleman (Auburn), Cutter Boley (ASU via Kentucky)

The Missouri Tigers lost their star quarterback, who led them to a 6-1 start to the season, in what was really his first chance to start. Unfortunately an injury derailed his season and their momentum, but Pribula is still viewed as a high-end starter in college football.

As for Cam Coleman, the now-former Auburn wide receiver is due for a massive payday. Some reports have revealed he could earn as much as $2 million. He is ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, and very well could move up this list.

A Kentucky native, Boley impressed as the starting quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats this season. He replaced Zach Calzada as the starter after two games, throwing for 2,160 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while completing 65.8% of his passes. While there was obvious room for improvement, he steps into an Arizona State situation where he will be throwing to Colorado wide receiver transfer Omarion Miller and playing for one of the best offensive minds in the country, Kenny Dillingham.

NIL Valuation: $1.8

Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), DJ Lagway (Florida), Josh Hoover (Indiana via TCU)

Dylan Raiola was tabbed as the quarterback who would bring Nebraska back to prominence, but instead, his season was ended early due to an injury, and the writing was on the wall that he was leaving. Matt Rhule fired his uncle from the coaching staff, and his younger brother, who is a 2026 quarterback recruit, backed off his pledge. Raiola may not be an elite-tier quarterback, but he has a big arm and some creativity that could make him an intriguing add.

Similar to Raiola, who was also a five-star with plenty of hype, injuries plagued DJ Lagway at Florida. In his first full year as the starter, Lagway threw for 2,264 yards with 16 touchdowns and a brutal 14 picks. His spring camp saw him throwing at a limited capacity, and he also dealt with various other knicks along the way.

Josh Hoover will enter the 2026 season as college football’s leading returning passer, accumulating 9,629 yards at TCU. He will look to keep the hype train going at Indiana, as he is set to replace projected No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza.

NIL Valuation: $2 million

Drew Mestemaker (OK State via UNT)

If you love an underdog story, you’ll love Drew Mestemaker’s journey. He went from not starting a varsity game at quarterback in high school to leading college football in passing yards with 4,379. While he likely could have gone to any school he wanted, he decided to follow North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.

NIL Valuation: $2.3 million

Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)

The biggest domino that has yet to fall in the transfer portal is Leavitt, who is expected to command a massive payday in the portal. His numbers weren’t as eye-popping as 2024 when he led the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff, but his dual-threat ability and elite ceiling has some of the biggest programs in the country knocking on his door.

NIL Valuation: $3.1 million

Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech via Cincinnati)

Brendan Sorsby changed the trajectory of his career with the season he had in 2025. The former Indiana quarterback threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns, while throwing just five picks. He also added nine more touchdowns on the ground, and is an early contender for the top spot in next year’s draft. Going to Texas Tech not only put him on a title contender, but earned him what reports are calling a $5 million payday.

NIL Valuation $3.3 million