Washington Huskies: Jedd Fisch
Why the job was open: Washington had absolutely nailed it by hiring Kalen DeBoer. He immediately got the Huskies back on the national stage and made a national title appearance in just his 2nd season. He had something special cooking and it was inevitable he’d win a national title for Washington at some point. Then the unexpected happened, Nick Saban retired and suddenly Alabama, the program that’s commanded college football for such a long time was open. DeBoer was selected as the man to replace the GOAT.
Coach Profile: Jedd Fisch got his start as a NFL assistant and he has a rare timeline. Most coaches typically find a path in college or NFL, but Fisch really found success in both. His first college job was as an offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and really proceeded to bounce around. The next season he was the QB coach for the Seattle Seahawks, then back to college as the Miami Hurricanes OC, then BACK to the NFL as the Jacksonville Jaguars OC, then BACK to college as an assistant at Michigan. He then was hired as the OC at UCLA under Jim Mora Jr to fix the offense after one of the most spectacular ground game collapses I’ve ever seen the year before (UCLA accidentally found themselves running the Mike Leach (RIP) pass the ball every play offense the year before.) He improved it for them but not enough to save Mora’s job, as he was fired at 5-6, Fisch took over as interim coach. Fisch rallied UCLA to a bowl. Fisch briefly went back into the NFL but then was hired by the Arizona Wildcats as their head coach. It was a slow build, year 1 was a complete start over at 1-11, year 2 they finished just short of a bowl at 5-7 and then they hit the year 3 takeoff. After some early season losses Arizona ended the year as one of the nation’s hottest teams going 10-3 with an Alamo bowl win.
Why he will succeed: Fisch is a really good coach, he showed with his build at Arizona that he can build a program anywhere. Washington is in a big market and has every resource available to succeed in this NIL era. The Huskies program also has a lot of momentum with their playoff win over Texas and national championship appearance.
What obstacles are in the way of success: Washington isn’t in their home conference anymore, they’re now a complete misfit in the overgrown Big Ten. That’s going to be a big challenge to overcome. How is Washington going to compete with high school recruiting that’s currently middle of the road?
Grade: A– – Replacing DeBoer was always going to be a huge uphill climb for Washington because he’s one of the best coaches in the game currently, but Washington did a good job with bringing in Fisch as his replacement. He’s a safe bet to keep things rolling, even if the first year brings a dip in the record.
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