BREAKING! Jedd Fisch leaving Arizona for University of Washington
University of Arizona head football coach Jedd Fisch has officially accepted the same position at the University of Washington.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP, KYMA/KECY) - Washington has targeted Arizona's Jedd Fisch and is negotiating a deal with him to succeed Kalen DeBoer as the next coach of the Huskies.
According to sources with ESPN, Arizona held a 4:00 p.m. MT staff meeting and a 4:30 p.m. team meeting, where Fisch announced his departure to Washington. After his meetings with Arizona, Fisch was expected to travel to Washington, and hold a meeting with the Huskies at around 8:30 p.m. PT, according to a source.
Fisch's deal at Washington is a seven-year contract at an average of $7.75 million per year, sources told ESPN, confirming a report in The Athletic. The school announced the hire in a social media post at 5:20 p.m. ET.
The buyout for Washington to extract Fisch from Arizona is $5.5 million, sources said. That number is less than half of the $12 million that Washington is due to receive from the departure of Kalen DeBoer to Alabama.
Less than a week after playing for the national championship, the Huskies moved quickly to fill the vacancy created when DeBoer left for Alabama.
Washington athletic director Troy Dannen was tasked with his first big decision since taking over in October and tried to rapidly provide stability for a football program coming off its best season in more than three decades.
Fisch has received rave reviews for his work at Arizona, especially this past season when the Wildcats finished 10-3, were third in the Pac-12 standings and beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. Arizona is moving to the Big 12 starting next season but is facing financial issues within its athletic department, and Fisch could see more stability at Washington.
Whoever takes over at Washington will face a first task of trying to stabilize any additional roster defections and put together a roster that’ll face bigger challenges moving into the Big Ten next season.
The departure of Fisch marks the first time a UA football coach has left for another college job since Larry Smith’s move to USC in 1986. The university once again faces the challenge of finding a new leader to guide the Wildcats through their next chapter in college football.
