Greg McElroy outlines one key problem that Jedd Fisch could face at Washington

Jedd Fisch is the man in Seattle now after taking Washington over from Kalen DeBoer. Even so, Greg McElroy still has his questions about how his hire will pan out over the next few years.

McElroy spoke about the program’s hiring of Fisch during ‘Always College Football’ this week. His first point was that, although he has over 20 years on the job, Fisch has never spent more than just a handful of seasons in any one place.

“Now, Jedd Fisch? Here’s the problem – he has never really been anywhere for an extended period of time,” said McElroy. “His longest tenure in the profession is four years in Baltimore with the Ravens where he served as a quality control coach. So it’s not like he has a long track record.”

McElroy is also wondering how Washington is now going to step into a new conference under a new coach. It was already going to be difficult after losing several players after the season. Still, with more leaving following the coaching change and the shift to Fisch in general, their adaptation to life in the Big Ten is one that he wants to see play out.

“At this point, as he transitions? Is the Big Ten, like I said, going to adapt to the Pac-12 with more athleticism? An emphasis on throwing the football, an emphasis on the perimeter, playing on the perimeter? Can play in the trenches but playing on the perimeter is where most teams lived with pretty good success in the Pac-12,” McElroy explained. “The Big Ten? It’s really going to be about the line of scrimmage, controlling the line of scrimmage, a physical emphasis.”

However, on a positive note, McElroy does believe that Fisch’s connections from so many stops will be a benefit to him. 14 jobs from the 2000s to now means you’ve crossed paths will all kinds of people. That, on top of coming off his best coaching, are reasons for belief in Fisch as he steps in.

“He has got a really good network because of how well-traveled he has been,” said McElroy. “He has got a really good network of contacts within the coaching profession. I think that will resonate with a donor base that was 60 minutes away from winning a national championship.”

“He has familiarity, too, in Seattle. He has also been on the west coast at not just Arizona but also spent some time at UCLA,” McElroy continued. “Has been at Minnesota and at Michigan in the past in the Big Ten. He does understand the league, he has been around the league. He has been in the NFL. I think he, obviously, just did, maybe, as good of a job as anybody in one of the toughest positions in the sport.”

There are plenty of queries regarding Fisch considering where the Huskies just were last season and where they’re now going next season. Those are all ones that he will have to answer this next year with the Huskies on the field.

“All of those things are legitimate question marks at this point,” said McElroy.