Washington hires Jedd Fisch away from Arizona to be coach
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Scott Van Pelt breaks down the series of moves that led to Jedd Fisch leaving Arizona to become the head coach at Washington. (0:48)
Jedd Fisch is the next football coach at Washington, the school announced Sunday.
Washington athletic director Troy Dannen engaged Fisch in a second interview this weekend and narrowed in on the former Arizona coach as the choice, sources said. He was the only candidate to emerge for a second interview after an initial round of candidate calls in the wake of Kalen DeBoer’s exit for Alabama.
Sources told ESPN that Arizona held a 6 p.m. ET staff meeting and a 6:30 p.m. team meeting, where Fisch announced his departure to Washington. After his meetings with Arizona, Fisch and his family traveled to Washington to meet with the Huskies at around 11:30 p.m. ET, according to a source.
Before boarding the plane in Arizona, Fisch recorded a video that Washington posted on social media. He ended the video telling Huskies fans: “Let’s go get that championship we’ve been talking about.”
Washington will hold an introductory news conference with Fisch on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
“We wanted to move quickly but thoroughly, and sought out a coach who would build on our foundation, bring energy to the program, has a track record of success, is an elite recruiter and was someone who young men wanted to play for,” Dannen said in a news release. “We found all of those characteristics and more in Jedd Fisch. It became clear through our conversations that he shares our values and our vision for UW Football, and he is the right coach at the right time.”
Fisch’s deal at Washington is a seven-year contract with an annual average of $7.75 million, sources told ESPN, confirming a report in The Athletic. The school announced the hire in a social media post at 7:20 p.m. ET.
The buyout for Washington to extract Fisch from Arizona is $5.5 million, sources said. That is less than half of the $12 million that Washington is due to receive from the departure of DeBoer to Alabama.
“While we did not want to see Coach Fisch leave and made every effort to retain him by continuing our investment in the football program, we wish him the best as he begins a new chapter in his career,” Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement, adding that a national search for a coach is underway.
“As for next steps, we have a shared vision for the program and our student-athletes. Arizona Football is well positioned for future success and championship excellence, and I am confident we will attract a new leader who will continue the positive trajectory of our nationally ranked football program.”
Fisch emerged from the group of candidates for multiple reasons, sources said. He brings experience building a program in the Big Ten, as he served as Michigan’s offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016.
He also worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 under Pete Carroll, the NFL team’s longtime coach who exited that position last week. Brennan Carroll, Pete’s son, is the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in Arizona.
Fisch, 47, brings a plethora of college and professional experience. He has been an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots and a college offensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan as well as at Miami and UCLA.
His best work came this past season. Arizona finished on a seven-game winning streak, going 10-3 with a blowout of No. 12 Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl to cap the season.
Quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan emerged as two the top young talents in college football under Fisch. Their futures following his departure will be closely watched this week.
Fisch’s ability to recruit at a high level and his knowledge of recruiting on the West Coast also stood out to Washington brass.
“The unbelievable success of the Huskies the last two seasons demonstrates what UW is capable of,” Fisch said in his introductory news release. “And I cannot wait to compete for Big Ten and national championships with tremendous young men and an outstanding coaching staff that we will assemble.”
ESPN senior writers Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.