5 Bold Decisions Fisch Made in His First Season in Montlake

Jedd Fisch must be a fun guy to hang with at a casino. One gets the distinct impression the University of Washington football coach is so comfortable in his own skin that high-risk moves with a pile of chips in front of him are the norm rather than an impulsive action.

Throughout his first season with the Huskies, Fisch pushed boundaries. He made decisions on plays and players in which some worked and others didn't. He showed absolutely no regret when the latter happened.

Looking back at the recently concluded Husky season, we picked out five instances in which Fisch boldly rolled the dice with his team and just let things end up where they may.

Replacing Jackson with Dixon

Fisch's staff got everyone's attention right away that nothing was sacred in terms of personnel during spring football practice by swapping out one of two returning starters he inherited. The coaches uprooted Elijah Jackson, a 15-game starter and Sugar Bowl defensive hero, with Thaddeus Dixon, previously Jackson's back-up in 2023. Dixon ended up having the best season of any Husky defensive back, earning All-Big Ten honorable-mention recognition and starting 12 of 13 games. Both players since have entered the transfer portal, with Jackson committing to TCU and Dixon heading to North Carolina, while Fisch's staff gets ready to introduce another upgrade to this particular cornerback position, receiving a portal commitment from the much-decorated Tacario Davis, who played at Arizona with Fisch and Company. Outcome: success.

Fourth-and-1 for the Win

With 1:12 left in the Apple Cup, the Huskies had the ball at the goal line, hard-running Jonah Coleman ready to pack the football into the end zone and a victory well within reach. Fisch called for an option to the short side of the field -- and the Cougars snuffed it, preserving their 24-19 win. The UW missed multiple blocks at the point of attack. It didn't help that senior Quentin Moore, Fisch's top blocking tight end, was lost in the opener with a season-ending knee injury. Coleman got shoved out of bounds and lost two yards, and the Huskies got close but couldn't pull out the win. Outcome: fail.

Double Pass against Michigan

Nursing a 7-0 lead over the vaunted Wolverines, the Huskies got close to midfield and decided to see if their visitors were paying attention. They put two quarterbacks on the field in Will Rogers and Demond Williams Jr. and the fun began. From the UW 47, Rogers accepted the snap, turned to his right and rifled the ball to Williams, who had lined up as a receiver. Williams next threw the ball all the way back across the field to a waiting and wide-open Cam Davis, who picked up 37 yards running up the left sideline to the Michigan 16. The Huskies scored a play later when Rogers threw a TD pass to Giles Jackson. Outcome: success.

Benching Will Rogers

You would have to look long and hard to find a college football coach who would bench a 51-game starter near the end of the guy's career, especially one who had just led his team to wins over Michigan and USC, but Fisch did just that. He first replaced a less effective Rogers with freshman Demond Williams Jr. in the second half of games against Penn State and UCLA, and then started Williams against Oregon on the road and against Louisville in the Sun Bowl in Texas. While the Huskies lost both games, the idea was to get Williams seasoned for 2025 when he'll become the starter from the outset. Williams made the move look good at the Sun Bowl when he completed 26 of 32 passes for 374 yards and 4 touchdowns and ran for a fifth score. Outcome: success.

Going for 2 and Sun Bowl Win

With nine seconds left in the game in El Paso, Williams heroically directed the Huskies to a pair of touchdowns in the closing minutes and, rather than kick an extra point to tie, Fisch directed his young quarterback to go for two points and the win. Williams tried to loft one to Jeremiah Hunter in the back of the end zone, but Louisville linebacker Antonio Watts swatted the ball away to preserve a 35-34 Cardinals victory. Outcome: fail.

For his second season with the Huskies, Fisch will be someone to keep an eye on, with everyone watching to see if he plays things straight up with a more veteran and established team or whether he continues to gamble with his players and game situations in a big way. Either way, he'll keep things interesting.

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