Joel Klatt calls Will Rogers a big win for Jedd Fisch

Will Rogers went to Washington and it was quite the fit right off the bat. But once Jedd Fisch was named head coach, there were a lot of questions.

The former Arizona coach took over for Kalen DeBoer, who left for Alabama. But Rogers eventually decided to stay with the Huskies after transferring from Mississippi State.

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt called it a huge win for the beginning of Fisch’s tenure.

“So Will Rogers is going to go to Washington after all,” Klatt said on his podcast. “He was the Mississippi State quarterback, he transferred to Washington. Then DeBoer leaves, he goes back into the portal, you know, where’s he gonna go? And now he’s removed his name from the portal and he’s gonna stay at Washington. I think that is a big win for Jed Fisch, because now I can look at Washington and say, okay, you know, I think that they’re going to take a little step back, but now you’ve got some players.” 

Rogers played just eight games last season due to injury. But he finished the year with 1,626 yards, 12 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 59.9% completion percentage.

But in 2021 and ‘22, Rogers threw a combined 71 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions, while throwing for 8,713 yards.

There was certainly worry Rogers would test the waters again with Fisch coming in as head coach. But, he decided to stay put.

“I mean, you can’t have this type of coaching change and not lose at least a couple of guys there,” Klatt said. “They lost some guys but they’re getting some reinforcements and I think the same can be said about Kalen DeBoer (at Alabama. The bleeding has stopped. All right now we’re back in school, we’re into offseason strength and conditioning like I was just talking about. And we’ve got a quarterback with Will Rogers.”

Rogers sported his Washington jersey at the national championship, watching what could be his future. Ultimately, he decided to trust the process and Fisch’s new regime in 2024.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Rogers was a three-star recruit out of Brandon (Miss.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 19 overall prospect in the state, the No. 41 quarterback in the class and the No. 591 overall prospect in the class.