Introduced As New UW Coach, Fisch Comes Off as Confident and Polished

Yet the Husky leader has a lot of work to do, especially in restocking a depleted roster.

Jedd Fisch looked dapper in a gray suit and a dark Arizona tan, sounded extra polished as he spoke with a razor-sharp voice and gave off a confident vibe as he explained where he's been and who he's worked for, especially in the pro football ranks.

And thus the University of Washington introduced its 31st football coach — and fourth in six years — on Tuesday morning to a gathering of staffers, fans, donors, former players, current players and media members crowded into a room outside of the Husky Stadium coaches' offices.

First impression?

We'll leave that to Dana Hall, a cornerback for the 1991 UW national championship team and former NFL player who flew up from Los Angeles in the morning simply to get a look at the new Husky coach.

"The one thing about guys from the NFL is they have a lot of swag," Hall said. "They've been around a lot of really successful people. He's got swag."

That he does. While 26 months earlier, Kalen DeBoer presented himself as a somewhat conservative personality and an old-style football coach, Fisch came off as a salesman with a ready answer for everything, in particular faced with restocking a UW roster down 21 players from the 85-man limit.

Fisch, whether he thought it up or not, came armed with his own marketing campaign.

"We are here for the W," he said. "The W for winning, the W for work and the W for Washington, and we'll give it everything we have. Sustained success is critical in college football. The ability to each and every and competing for championships, the ability each and every year to be in the top of your conference, at the top of the nation. The University of Washington allows that opportunity."

While he spoke, Husky edge rushers Zach Durfee and Maurice Heims and safety Tristan Dunn, all underclassmen, stood together off to the side and listened to what the new guy had to say. 

In the background, Husky safety Tristan Dunn and edge rusher Zach Durfee listen to new UW coach Jedd Fisch speak.  / Dan Raley

Senior safety Asa Turner, who entered the portal over the weekend, walked through before heading to the weight room and said he might consider coming back depending on who stays or goes.

Off to the side, maybe a half-dozen former Arizona assistant coaches, who weren't introduced, are already working on recruiting and meeting with UW players in and out of the portal.

Wearing a purple Husky sweatshirt, William Inge, DeBoer's Husky co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, appeared to be still working on behalf of the UW. When asked if he will join Fisch's coaching staff, Inge smiled and said, "We'll see."

Fisch, 47, said his first inclination was to go on the road and begin recruiting, but he decided to hold off and meet with Husky players, especially those on the fence about staying or leaving.

Asked if he was daunted by having just one scholarship quarterback — freshman Dermaricus Davis — on the roster and whether there was any chance of retaining freshman Austin Mack or Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers now in the portal, Fisch, without naming names, said one or more of those guys have been attending team meetings.

Fisch noted how he and DeBoer regularly discussed offensive ideas in 2022 but didn't talk so much this past season because they were both trying to get into the Pac-12 championship game.

DeBoer, when he took over the Huskies, said he wasn't rebuilding, he was reloading. Fisch likewise said this wasn't a rebuild, rather he still termed it as a reconstruction, which means he could have it tougher than his predecessor who's now at Alabama. 

The new coach observed that he has the best office in the world looking out on Husky Stadium, Lake Washington and the Cascade Range. Asked if he had envisioned himself running out of the tunnel, Fisch kept things light.

"I haven't had much luck in this stadium," he said, drawing laughs.

While with UCLA and playing the Huskies in 2017, he referenced how former UW defensive tackle Vita Vea knocked his quarterback Josh Rosen out of the game with a concussion.

He brought up the 2022 UW-Arizona game, calling it a shootout and remembering the score in which DeBoer's Huskies won 49-39.

"Tough holding call," he said, drawing more laughs.

From here on, though, things will get a lot more serious for Fisch and his new staff as they try to restock the roster and win as much as they can while entering the Big Ten in the fall.

Let’s get it started, @CoachJeddFisch 👏#PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/W8UW21cjiE

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) January 16, 2024

He name-dropped how he worked alongside such prominent NFL names as Carroll, Belichick, Billick, Shanahan and McVay, seemingly intimating that college players might have a better chance of getting to the league if they joined his team.

Fisch mentioned how there were 17 UW players in the transfer portal and 9-10 others going pro, with the latter number as high as anyplace else in the country.

"We know it’s going to be a completely different football team in 2024 than what the community saw in 2023," he said. "It’s our job to put together the best product."

Fisch didn't look all that worried or dismayed with the big task at hand. He already was selling himself and the Huskies, and doing it with swag, and not letting anyone tell him that W also could stand for wishful thinking.

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