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Fowler 1 of 6 Huskies Who Have Had 4 UW Head Coaches

The senior linebacker has answered to seven football leaders, counting college and high school.
Dan Raley|
Fowler 1 of 6 Huskies Who Have Had 4 UW Head Coaches
Fowler 1 of 6 Huskies Who Have Had 4 UW Head Coaches

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Washington Huskies

It's not fair, University of Washington football fans lamented all weekend, in the wake of Husky coach Kalen DeBoer bolting for Alabama.

However, if you really want to talk about unfair, then speak to UW senior linebacker Drew Fowler.

When he encounters Jedd Fisch on the new guy's first day of work in Montlake on Monday, Fowler can tell him all about his various relationships with his endless string  of football leaders.

Fisch is Fowler's fourth Husky coach in six seasons, and seventh different football coach counting his high school days at Bellevue High School.

"It's been really interesting because one of the main reasons I came here in the first place was for Coach Pete," Fowler said. "I had three head coaches in high school. I was looking for a stable system here, which obviously didn't happen."

That's Coach Pete as in Chris Petersen, who Fowler answered to as his first Husky head coach in 2019, followed by Jimmy Lake, Kalen DeBoer and now Fisch. Before that, he played for Butch Goncharoff, Mark Landes and former UW offensive lineman Michael Kneip at Bellevue High. Kneip began his playing career with Steve Sarkisian and ended with Petersen.

Fowler is one of six Huskies who share this turnstile coaching situation, joined by fellow linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, defensive tackle Jacob Bandes, safety Kamren Fabiculanan, running back Cam Davis and offensive guard Julius Buelow. 

Tuputala and Buelow can let Fisch know they're two of just four starters returning from the Huskies national championship game against Michigan a week ago in Houston.

Fabiculanan and Bandes each started just one game for Lake before drawing increased playing time for the DeBoer staff.

Davis started at least one game each for his first three coaches, even opening against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl as a freshman, before tearing up a knee in fall camp last August, having surgery  and missing the entire 2023 season for DeBoer's Huskies.

As for Fowler, he's a non-scholarship player who's been treated like he's on the payroll. He hasn't started yet, but he's appeared in 40 games. 

Maybe his new coach will finally hook him up some financial aid. After all, he's paid for five years out of pocket and been a contributor. 

"I know what my role is here," Fowler said. "I came in here for a purpose, helping other guys navigate these coaching changes."

Again, he said this a year and a half ago — and it still holds true. 

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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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