> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Jedd Fisch Talks Long-Term Expectations For Washington During Podcast Appearance - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/jedd-fisch-long-term-expectations-washington-podcast-appearance/ - Published: 2025-03-21T04:21:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:00:13.000Z - Author: Aaron Coe - Tags: Jedd Fisch, Huskies, Washington Football, Demond Williams, George Wrighster \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="767"\] ![ Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch joined the Unafraid Show with George Wrighster to delve into a variety of topics, including the state of the program. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/screenshot-2025-03-20-221612-format-original-1.png) Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch joined the Unafraid Show with George Wrighster to delve into a variety of topics, including the state of the program. \[/caption\] Once, after listening to a Jedd Fisch press conference, a member of the media uttered, “I think I just bought two used cars.” While the second-year Washington Huskies football coach may not be asking “What can I do to get you into a car today,” he is certainly out there selling UW football to fans, media, current players and recruits — and anyone who will listen. The used car salesman analogy ends there, though. Fisch recently went on the [Unafraid Show with George Wrighster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HerWWoUar5Y&ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) podcast, outlining the state of the football program, his well-traveled career and his vision for the future at Washington. The future? Some around Mountlake remain skeptical. After all, Fisch’s resume reveals a number of stops rivaling the route of the neighborhood milkman. He came into a program that had been ripped down to the studs — actually, many of the studs had bolted for the NFL draft or disappeared into the transfer portal — after Kalen DeBoer led the Huskies to the 2023 National Championship game. Many wondered if he’d get the team to 10 wins like he did at Arizona and bolt to the NFL or a DeBoer-like move to a perennial Top 5 college program. This offseason feels different, though. While it’s impossible for anyone, including a coach, to predict a coach’s future, Fisch seems to be making some long-term moves. “I think at this time a year ago, I was still, you know, being hit by shrapnel,” Fisch told Wrighster during the podcast. “So it’s good to be a part of something a year deep into being here at Washington. The city has been phenomenal, the fan base, the players. These are our guys. Now we’re all kind of committed to this thing together.” A year ago, the portal opened for Washington players to bolt, because the NCAA allows players to move on when their coach takes off. The portal was closed for players at most schools, so Fisch’s options to replace the departing players during the winter months were limited. For the most part, they had to come from his previous school, Arizona, or San Jose State, which had lost Brent Brennan when he replaced Fisch at Arizona. At UW, with the shrapnel dissipating, Fisch has focused on beefing up his personnel department, coaching staff and recruiting efforts. These are moves aimed at competing down the road more so than trying to squeeze 9-10 wins somehow and turn it into a 2026 job opportunity. And, he’s selling the bones of the Washington program rather than throwing large piles of cash around at one-and-done portal players. He explained to Wrighster that the UW is a place he can win. “I think it’s two logos — the UW logo and the Big Ten logo,” Fisch said. “… On one sleeve it has that BIG logo and then on your chest it has a W. There’s a lot of people across the nation that want to play in the Big Ten, and there’s a lot of people across the nation that are also familiar with Washington. … Fourteen months ago, they’re playing in the National Championship game against Michigan. So you’re seeing that, and you’re seeing people recognizing the brand far more than maybe a few years back when it was more regionalized.” Fisch said the first year in the new conference showed his staff very clearly that defense must be a big priority, even for a head coach with an offensive coaching background. The teams in the national championship game — Ohio State and Notre Dame — were among the best defensive teams in the country. The SEC, which along with the Big Ten seems to be more and more taking over the sport, is also known for defense. “We learned that winning a game 27-20 was far more natural,” Fisch said. “in the Pac 12, you could maybe win a game 38-34 or 45-34\. There was a lot of scoring, and (Washignton and Arizona) were trying to really win on offense. Now you really have to win in all three phases — special teams, defense and offense.” Fisch believes the Huskies will be better equipped to compete this season after getting bigger in the trenches, which will allow them to be more competitive against the Big Ten’s best. Last season, the Huskies were pushed around by Oregon, Penn State and Iowa while losing by a combined score of 124-43\. “We do look a lot better getting off the bus when you look at who we are versus our competition,” Fisch said of the 2025 team. “(Last year) we looked outstanding getting off the bus in other conferences, but in the Big Ten, you really need to get that size. We have that now. … We’re a big team, and I hope that we can play a lot of competitive games.” Fisch spoke about the increased size on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as the linebacker corps. As always, he spoke glowingly of his quarterback, sophomore-to-be Demond William, who played in every game last season before starting the regular-season finale against Oregon and in the Sun Bowl. Williams, who was 17 when preseason camp began during Fisch’s first season, impressed his coach right away with his poise and earned playing time behind starter Will Rogers. “He takes care of the football magnificently,” Fisch said. “He completed over 70 percent of his passes. He was able to go in the bowl game and have five touchdowns in this second-ever start.” While speaking of his long-term intentions at UW, Fisch acknowledged his well-traveled days as an assistant coach. Many of the moves, he explained, were out of his control as an assistant coach because the head coaches were fired. In addition to the UW and Big Ten brands, Fisch indicated that part of the reason for coming to Washington from Arizona was the assistant-coach salary pool that was negotiated as part of his own contract. The pay increases allowed him to maintain many of the coaches who worked for him at Arizona. “I think the thing that you can do for your assistant coaches the most is take care of them the best you possibly can,” said Fisch, who counted 112 people who moved with him to Washington when accounting for the coaches’ kids and spouses that traveled. “Treat them like family. Be able to take care of them financially. The opportunity that we were given here when we came (to UW) was really a chance to take care of every coach’s family in a lot different manner than we were capable of doing (at Arizona). … But also now the opportunity to grow in the Big Ten, to be a part of a place that was just coming off a national championship (appearance). I think the assistant coaches were able to benefit from this move. With the staff raises, no used car sales were deemed necessary.