Jedd Fisch explains what drew him to Washington

When Kalen DeBoer decided to leave Washington in favor of Alabama, athletic director Troy Dannen needed to make a quick move. Luckily, his search did not take too long as he landed on Arizona‘s Jedd Fisch. One final gift from the Pac-12 for Washington before leaving in favor of the Big Ten.

Fisch was recently asked what went into the decision to leave Arizona and join Washington, admitting conference affiliation was a factor. Arizona will be a member of the Big 12 beginning in 2024 and is considered a step below the Big Ten.

And then you factor in the recent success of the Huskies under DeBoer, it’s a place Fisch knows he can have on-field success. Washington was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“It was hard,” Fisch said via the ESPN College GameDay podcast. “You feel so committed to the kids and the relationships you have with them. You just want to see it all the way through every year. And then you realize that there is this opportunity to enter the Big Ten. Go play for a team that just competed in a national championship. Go be at a place where football is the priority. Go to a place where football becomes a national brand with unlimited resources with the amount of people in Seattle, amount of love for Husky football.

“Just started thinking about what’s the best for long-term, sustained success. And it felt like Washington had that opportunity.”

Football may be the driving factor behind the conference move for Arizona but as Fisch hints at, it was maybe not always the biggest priority. The men’s basketball team might take the cake, with Tommy Lloyd running a great program. In fact, he just earned a contract extension as the Wildcats make another push in March.

There is no doubt about Washington’s top sport. You could see how much people supported the Huskies throughout a magical 2023 season. Two wins over the hated Oregon Ducks turned into an undefeated season, a Pac-12 title, a Sugar Bowl win over Texas, and a national championship game appearance.

Fisch will be tasked with replicating the success and feels as if he will have the resources to do so. Rebuilding the roster after heavy departure will be priority No. 1 but before we know it, Washington will be playing its season opener against Weber State on Aug. 31.