Fisch Chooses to Ignore Coaching Speculation That Includes Him

The Husky leader wouldn't deal with any of the conjecture that's come up.

Jedd Fisch looks on as the Huskies played Rutgers. | Dave Sizer photo

The call came unsolicited and urgently from one of the University of Washington's leading athletic donors at 8:30 on Monday morning.

"Is he gone?" asked the man in a demanding tone.

He was Jedd Fisch.

This reason for this person's impulse-calling angst was the Husky football coach had been widely name-dropped by those randomly creating lists of candidates for what seemed like an inevitable University of Florida coaching vacancy.

A few hours later, Fisch was gently pressed on this matter at his week-opening media briefing. He graduated from Florida and received his coaching start there as a graduate assistant for Steve Spurrier.

"I'm not going to address any of the coaching changes or coaching rumors or anything to that effect," the second-year UW coach said. "I've learned from that."

Rebuilding the UW program after the roster was gutted when Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, Fisch generally is well regarded as the Montlake football leader.

Yet he came to town with caveats that have kept the big-money guys from getting comfortable in thinking this coaching arrangement is a long-term deal.

Fisch, in his 26-year college and NFL coaching career while spending more than half of it in the pros, has never stayed longer than four years in any football job.

He's always been open to trying something new, rather than setting deep roots -- and that includes the University of Arizona football program, where he assembled a significant amount of talent, produced a 10-3 season in 2023 and then left for Seattle. Sort of like what DeBoer did with Alabama.

A smiling Jedd Fisch shares in another Jonah Coleman touchdown. | Dave Sizer photo

Further keeping his UW supporters on edge is the fact Fisch's wife and two daughters live in Tucson rather than Seattle, which smacks of a temporary employment situation.

Team donors also talk about spotting Fisch recently having breakfast on the road with someone they didn't recognize. While this easily could have been a friend of his, these people wondered if their coach was engaged in some sort of preliminary discussion for another opportunity.

Yet there is plenty of reason to think Fisch won't get up and leave for Florida -- because the opportunity probably won't present itself, at least at this time.

While his recruiting and program-building efforts generally have been steady and well received, he has just a composite 11-9 UW ledger so far, not exactly DeBoer lightning-bolt and door-opening success.

The Gators surely will want a guy on a hot streak to assuage a suffering fan base and give it instant hope.

Jedd Fisch watches UW spring practice deep in thought. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Meantime, Fisch had his most ardent Husky critics emerge online following Saturday's 24-7 loss at Michigan.

They questioned his play-calling out loud.

They compared him to Steve Sarkisian, remembering how the man known as Sark didn't win big in Montlake and used the UW as a stepping stone to another job at USC.

They weren't Fisch fans.

Not surprising, the Husky coach prefers to distance himself from any outside discussion and lingering conjecture surrounding him and his career interests.

He defers to the need to get his team ready to bounce back and play 23rd-ranked Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium.

"The most important thing we can do is here talk about being where our feet are," he said. "I think it's a really important time for us to play really well this week and that's what our focus is on. My responsibility is to make sure our team is fully ready to play our best game on Saturday."

That probably wasn't all that speed-dialing and aforementioned UW donor wanted to hear at this moment.

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