Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch has accepted the Washington head coaching job and is expected to be on a plane to Seattle as soon as tonight. Fisch first interviewed with the Huskies on Saturday afternoon and there was some thought that he was not the first choice.
On Sunday afternoon, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold turned down the job and the search shifted back to Fisch. A second interview occurred sometime within the last 24 hours and financials were discussed with everything being ironed out on Sunday afternoon.
Throughout the process, there were indications from Fisch that he was happy at Arizona and would not seriously entertain the Washington offer, but the administration was led astray.
Fisch is coming off one of the best seasons in school history. The Wildcats finished the 2023 regular season on a six-game winning streak and with a 9-3 overall record before winning the Alamo Bowl in impressive fashion against Oklahoma.
The 2021-2023 eight-win improvement was the largest win improvement over a span of three seasons in program history. Arizona capped the season with a dominant 59-23 win over rival Arizona State to retain the Territorial Cup for a second consecutive year, which is the first time since the 2008-2009 seasons that Arizona has won back-to-back Territorial Cup games.
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Arizona’s finish this season is the highest in the conference for the Wildcats since winning the South Division and making an appearance in the Pac-12 Championship game against Oregon in 2014.
In Fisch’s second year with the Wildcats, Arizona had a four-win improvement, marking the third-largest win increase in a single season in program history. The Wildcats finished 5-7 in 2022 after going 1-11 in 2021, highlighted by a defeat of No. 9 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, which was Arizona’s first top-10 win on the road since 2015.
The move comes as a surprise to some because although Washington is viewed by many as a high level job, the Wildcats were set to return one of the better rosters in college football and challenge for a Big 12 title.
Also, Fisch has been doing a media tour saying that he was happy at Arizona and did not plan to go anywhere.
“We’ll be going into the Big 12 with a lot of momentum,” Fisch said after the Alamo Bowl. “We’re on a seven-game win streak. It’s pretty awesome for Arizona football to be on a seven-game win streak. I love our players, and I think the reason why we can do what we do is because our players stay and our players work hard and our players believe. Where else would you rather be then go try to be in the top 10 or better next year?”
A search for Arizona’s new head coach will begin immediately.
