Washington coach Jedd Fisch reiterates loyalty to Huskies amid Michigan rumors
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oregon, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson / The Associated Press)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — On Dec. 3, Jedd Fisch was asked if he’d guarantee he was going to stay at UW in 2026. The Husky coach confirmed he’d remain in Seattle.
“I will be coaching Washington in 2026,” Fisch told KJR’s Dave “Softy” Mahler.
But a lot has changed on the college football coaching carousel during the past week. Specifically at Michigan — where Fisch spent two seasons as part of Jim Harbaugh’s staff from 2015-16. The Wolverines fired Sherrone Moore for cause Wednesday, creating a vacancy at one of the best financially positioned programs in the country.
Yet Fisch, who was immediately named as a potential candidate by several outlets in the immediate aftermath of Moore’s firing, doubled down on his commitment to the Huskies on Friday.
“I expect to be here,” Fisch said.
Washington, which plays Boise State in the final LA Bowl at 5 p.m. on Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., is poised for an important 2026 campaign. Keeping Fisch, the architect of the program’s two-year rebuild following its implosion after former coach Kalen DeBoer’s shocking departure before the 2024 season, is crucial for UW’s expectations going forward.
“We’re focusing on winning the game on Saturday,” Fisch said. “We’re focusing on keeping this team together. We’re focusing on playing great football. And all I can do is control what I can control, and that’s keep coaching.”
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Fisch, who will complete his second season at UW, has been linked to jobs throughout the 2025 campaign. Along with early conjectures about the Michigan job, he’d previously been noted as a potential candidate for the UCLA and Florida vacancies, despite signing a seven-year contract when he was hired before the 2024 season.
Fisch isn’t the only member of his staff who’s been connected to other opportunities. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters was linked to the Tennessee defensive coordinator job because of his prior experience working with Volunteers coach Josh Heupel but dismissed those rumors during his availability Tuesday.
The UW coach said his staff has spent significant time keeping his players focused on the present moment. He said he wants this group, the 2025 Huskies, to enjoy the opportunity to play in the LA Bowl. To relish the chance to win a ninth game. To celebrate their accomplishments, like having a winning record on the road and in Big Ten play. To appreciate their improvements from 2024.
“We haven’t spent any time focusing on what people are saying and the outside noise regarding me or other coaches on our staff,” Fisch said. “We know that’s the world we’re in right now. We know our players are being talked about — or talked to — by other teams. And we just have to really stay focused on the task at hand, which is the game tomorrow.”
Fisch, who is 14-11 during his Washington tenure, also added that he blames the current college football calendar for the chaotic coaching carousel college football has experienced this season. The placements of the early signing period during early December before bowl season and the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2 has meant programs want to have coaches in position to keep their rosters and recruiting classes together.
Instead, Fisch envisioned a system closer to the NFL, where coaches can’t be interviewed until their season is completed or during playoff bye weeks. Additionally, NFL teams must seek permission to interview a coach or assistant under contract, and organizations can block a team from interviewing a coach for a lateral move.
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“I don’t think we can control it, to be honest,” Fisch said. “Unless the calendar changes or the rules change.”
So Fisch is simply worrying about what he can control. More specifically, he said that includes teaching his team how to win a bowl game.
Washington came up just short during a 35-34 defeat against Louisville in the 2024 Sun Bowl, despite sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr.’s heroics in just his second career start. Fisch said the LA Bowl will be a good measuring stick to evaluate how much Williams has grown after a full season as the team’s starting signal caller and end the season on a high note.
“This is a great opportunity for him to be able to lead our team,” Fisch said, “and for the rest of our players to really be able to use last year’s Sun Bowl experience and now against a new opponent, see how good we can play this year.”
And Fisch reiterated that he expects every healthy Husky to be available for the LA Bowl against the Broncos (9-4). During Fisch’s two bowl appearances at UW, the team’s only bowl opt outs have been players bound for the transfer portal. Despite the increasingly common sight of players preparing for the NFL draft deciding not to play to ensure they stay healthy.
The Huskies are also expecting junior edge rusher Isaiah Ward (lower body) to play for the first time since Oct. 18, while senior cornerback Tacario Davis (hamstring) returned to practice this week and will be a game-time decision.
“He brings the fun to the table,” Rob Gronkowski, the four-time Super Bowl champion tight end and official host of the LA Bowl, said about Fisch. “He knows what these players want, and that’s why he has success as well in the college football era.”
But Gronkowski isn’t picking UW to win. The former Arizona tight end — purely motivated by a feigned grudge against Fisch for leaving the Wildcats — predicted Boise State to beat Washington 27-24 on Saturday.
“That’s why,” Gronkowski joked, “I’m an analyst.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
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