Inside The Huskies

At LA Bowl, Fisch Reiterates He Will Coach UW in 2026

The coach was asked a couple of times about the ongoing speculation involving him and Michigan.
Dan Raley|
Rob Gronkowski, LA Bowl ambassador, shares the podium with Boise State's Spencer Danielson and Jedd Fisch.
Rob Gronkowski, LA Bowl ambassador, shares the podium with Boise State's Spencer Danielson and Jedd Fisch. | Dan Raley

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- With game ambassador Rob Gronkowski mugging for the cameras in the room, there was plenty of frivolity at an LA Bowl news conference at SoFi Stadium leading up to Saturday's game between the University of Washington and Boise State football teams.

This also was the first time anyone had the chance to ask Husky coach Jedd Fisch, both in a direct manner and in a roundabout way, about the open Michigan job and the endless speculation that the Wolverines might make a run at him.

Seattle Times beat writer Andy Yamashita didn't waste any time reminding Fisch that he had said at a previous signing day media gathering that he would be the UW coach in 2026 and wanted to know if anything had changed.

"I expect to be here, yeah," Fisch said

To keep him talking on the subject, the second-year UW coach was asked if the Michigan conjecture, created when coach Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship and arrested for his alleged behavior in the ordeal, was a distraction to him.

"I don't think we can control it, to be honest," Fisch said, referring to firing coaches and having schools try to raid other teams for their replacements, often with a bowl game compromised.

"Unless the calendar changes or rules changes, and make it more like the NFL, where contracts are bound to the team, and then the team would have to get permission for him to leave and you never see coaches going to other programs in the NFL."

New-age SoFi Stadium looks like it's housing a UFO.
New-age SoFi Stadium looks like it's housing a UFO. | Dan Raley photo

As far as distractions go, Fisch said there's plenty to go around, such as other teams contacting his players and trying to convince them to leave Montlake, and his staff trying to protect the roster.

He was happy to report that he has not had any bowl game opt-outs among his players or any more transfer portal departures other than sophomore wide receiver Audric Harris, who left the team once the season ended.

Spencer Danielson, Rob Gronkowski and Jedd Fisch pose with the LA Bowl trophy.
Spencer Danielson, Rob Gronkowski and Jedd Fisch pose with the LA Bowl trophy. | Dan Raley

"It's not a distraction that I'm thinking about," the Husky coach said of the Michigan speculation. "It's not something we're focused in on. We're focused on winning the game on Saturday. We're trying to keep this team together. We're focused on playing great football."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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