Jedd Fisch Will Replace Departed Offensive Coordinator Jimmie Dougherty with… Jedd Fisch
During an appearance on the On3 Andy & Ari podcast on Wednesday, Washington Huskies head football coach Jedd Fisch offered some clarity about the offensive coordinator position.
The new OC will essentially be Jedd Fisch.
As UW’s head coach, Fisch calls the offensive plays. Jimmie Dougherty, promoted to the offensive coordinator position prior to the 2025 season, sat up in the coaches box above the stadium to serve as a second set of eyes. He helped install the offense and form the gameplan, as well as serving as quarterbacks coach.
Former NFL first-round pick J.P. Losman, an offensive analyst last season, will fill the quarterbacks coach role and has already been out on the road recruiting. Fisch also mentioned the plan to bring in a veteran NFL coach to serve as a senior assistant. Matt Cavanaugh, a long-time NFL offensive coordinator who last coached for the New York Jets in 2021, was being considered per a report by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
“I’ll continue to call the plays,” Fisch said. “We’re going to bring in a senior assistant that could help with some of the roles of game planning. I wanted to bring in someone with some new ideas — someone that’s not been part of our program, someone that could come in with some uniqueness.”
Fisch did not elaborate on the parting of ways with Dougherty, including the unusual timing of the separation two months after Washington’s season concluded with a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl.
“I’ve had Jimmie for six years, five years as our quarterbacks coach, and now we’re going to have J.P. take on that role,” Fisch said. “And I thought it was good to have a little bit of a change there, and also be able to provide for us an opportunity to bring in somebody with different thoughts, somebody who’s done it in a different way than we’ve done it.
“I kind of felt like I wanted to learn a little bit more about the other way of doing things.”
Fisch made it clear prior to the 2025 season that he would continue to call plays, and he left little doubt about that again on Wednesday when asked where he stood on the idea of giving up playcalling.
“Yeah, currently I don’t stand anywhere other than I’m going to keep doing it,” Fisch said. “I do believe it’s a challenge, and I do believe that you have to be able to balance out the other aspects of the programs. And that’s why it was so important for me to go hire [Washington defensive coordinator] Ryan Walters, someone that’s been a head coach to run the defense.
Demond Williams Jr. Situation
Asked about Demond Williams Jr.’s dalliance with the transfer portal, Fisch indicated that there was no permanent damage done by the quarterback announcing his departure during UW soccer player Mia Hamant’s memorial service, and then reversing course two days later.
He said that the Big Ten’s contract signed by players “allowed us to stay firm and stay strong,” but that Williams ultimately determined that Washington was still the right place for Williams to play his junior year.
“A lot of people were, as we know, trying to get him to leave,” Fisch said. “When you get recruited, it’s hard not to at least pause for a minute. And that’s what he did. After about 48 hours, the pause was over, and he’s back. And he’s having a fantastic first four weeks of the offseason.”
