UW Huskies’ Jedd Fisch one of 3 ‘gettable coaches’ for Michigan job, report says
Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch on the sidelines against the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday afternoon aat Husky Stadium in Seattle, on September 27, 2025. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch was one of three coaches who engaged in “early discussions” with Michigan about its coaching vacancy, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday morning.
Speaking during a segment on ESPN’s “Get Up” show, Thamel said Fisch, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Kyle Whittingham, who will coach his final game at Utah during the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska Dec. 31, were among the “gettable coaches” for Michigan. The Wolverines abruptly fired former coach Sherrone Moore for cause on Dec. 10 citing an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Thamel added Louisville coach Jeff Brohm was not on Michigan’s initial list of coaching targets, but did not rule him out of the search entirely.
Thamel also said the Wolverines are not in a position to hire Moore’s successor before or immediately after Christmas. On Monday, interim Michigan coach Biff Poggi told reporters that athletic director Warde Manuel — whose athletic department remains under review by an independent law firm following a series of scandals — wanted to have a decision by the time No. 18 Michigan plays No. 13 Texas in the Citrus Bowl Dec. 31.
Crucially, the transfer portal officially opens Jan. 2. The two-week period that ends Jan. 16 is the only time when college football players can enter their names and head to new schools after the Division I Administrative Council voted to eliminate the spring transfer portal in September.
Speaking about Fisch specifically, Thamel noted the UW coach has been working to retain his roster for 2026. Entering Wednesday, the Huskies had 11 players who had announced intentions to enter the transfer portal. Most notably sophomore running back Adam Mohammed, junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler and freshman wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright.
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“With the portal, it’s all a high-stakes game of poker when every single college football player is essentially a free agent come Jan. 2,” Thamel said.
Fisch’s situation at Washington has not changed since beating Boise State 38-10 to win the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. He’ll officially begin his third year on Jan. 8, according to his contract.
He remains tied to UW through the 2030 season after signing a seven-year contract before the 2024 season. Fisch went 9-4 in 2025 and is 15-11 during his two seasons with the Huskies. He signed UW’s top-rated recruiting class since 1999 during the early signing period, but went 0-3 against teams currently ranked in the College Football Playoff poll.
His total compensation in 2025, not counting performance bonuses, was $7.58 million. That ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 9 among Big Ten coaches, according to USA Today’s college football head coach salaries list.
Behind the likes of Illinois’ Bret Bielema, who Fisch and UW beat 42-25 in 2025, and Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, who defeated Washington 13-10 this season. But before Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, who both made the CFP.
Fisch is scheduled to get a $75,000 raise in 2026. Additionally, his buyout drops from $10 million to $6 million on Jan. 9, though that number seems unlikely to deter a program like Michigan that can rely on significant financial resources.
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
Comments
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"He. Doesn't. Want. To. Be. Here." - @Joey
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Just fucking leave already
Should have been fired anyway
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He's going to be UW's coach in 2026 and I am good with that.
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Another wasted year to get to a year to start over
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Playoffs or fired
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He’s not going to Michigan. It’s Whittingham. Judd will be here through 2027 when Williams exhausts his eligibility. Maybe longer unless McVey wants him to come back to hold his cords on the sideline. Cook it.
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Whittingham is a weird hire.
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Super strange. Makes me wonder if they actually did consider Fisch. I don't understand why a program with the pedigree and assumed funding of Michigan in the era of roster talent management doesn't just hire a young energetic guy who has been through a successful program.
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I think it has to be as an interim/temp type guy. Couple of years then hire when the market is better and the shit flooding the program has been cleaned up. Kind of their only real choice other than keep the interim guy for next year while interviewing.
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Exactly. Whittingham feels like a safe high character guy to sit in the chair for a couple years while they drain the swamp that is the UM athletic department. I thought he was retiring after announcing he was stepping down at Utah, which is why this is so surprising. I’m guessing once the cleanup job is done, they’ll “fire” him, he’ll collect a fat payout, and he’ll ride off into the sunset. Then they’ll hire Deboer who still won’t have won a championship at Alabama.
