$36 million college football coach reportedly out of race for Michigan vacancy

Michigan is the last remaining Power Four college football program to find a new head coach in the 2026 cycle.

The Wolverines fired head coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10 with cause and are now one week into the coaching search. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, and Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz are among those being floated as potential replacements.

One name that previously received attention for the vacancy was Washington head coach Jedd Fisch. On3 and ESPN college football insider Josh Pate reported Fisch's interest in the Michigan head coaching vacancy has declined in the last few days.

"There's been some sentiment today that maybe Jedd Fisch's name has cooled," Pate said. "I think that's accurate. The critical take-home points are that I don't know if Jedd Fisch is going to be a factor in the Michigan search moving forward... I don't think Jedd Fisch is going to be an option for them."

Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch holds the LA Bowl championship belt | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Fisch's waning interest is a relief to Washington, as it is all too familiar with head coaches leaving for other jobs. The Huskies lost Kalen DeBoer to Alabama in the 2024 offseason when Nick Saban announced his retirement from the Crimson Tide.

The Florida alumnus spent the first 24 seasons in the coaching ranks as an assistant at a high school, in the Arena Football League, at six different NFL franchises and five different college football programs. He served as Michigan's passing game coordinator in 2015 and 2016 under Jim Harbaugh, part of the reason he is linked to the Wolverines' current opening.

The only head-coaching capacity Fisch had served in before he took the Arizona vacancy was as UCLA's interim coach in the 2017 Cactus Bowl against Kansas State.

Arizona finished 1-11 in 2021, the lone win against California (10-3) in November. The Wildcats improved to 5-7 in 2022, a record that included an upset victory over a ranked UCLA team. Fisch followed up a 3-3 start in 2023 with seven consecutive wins, including an Alamo Bowl win over Oklahoma (38-24).

Fisch filled the Washington vacancy left by DeBoer in the 2024 offseason. An up-and-down first season led to a 6-7 season, capped by a Sun Bowl loss to Louisville (35-34).

The Huskies put together a stronger effort in 2025. Washington concluded the regular season at 8-4 and defeated Boise State (38-10) in the LA Bowl in SoFi Stadium.