Following the firing of Sherrone Moore, several potential candidates to replace him as the next head football coach at the University of Michigan have been thrown out there by national media. We even threw out a couple of replacement options.
I wanted to take the time to highlight an option I think is flying under the radar compared to other potential candidates — Washington head coach Jedd Fisch. On paper, Fisch’s official record as a head coach at UCLA (two games), Arizona (37 games) and Washington (25
games) isn’t all that impressive (31-33). But let’s dive into four reasons why I think he’s a great pick.
Previous coaching experience as college assistant & head coach
After brief stints coaching at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville and in the Arena Football League with the New Jersey Red Dogs while finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, Fisch got his college coaching career started as an grad assistant with the Gators. Fisch, whose college roommate was Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, started working under college football legend Steve Spurrier. That’s a good role model to cut your teeth in coaching with.
After heading to the NFL for most of the 2000s, Fisch has worked as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at the University of Minnesota (2009), worked in the same role at the University of Miami (2011-12), worked as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Michigan (2015-16), and at UCLA as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before a two-game stint as the interim head coach.
After heading back to the NFL for three years, Fisch helped turn around the University of Arizona, with the Wildcats finishing with a 10-3 record in his final season in 2023. He’s currently helping keep Washington relevant following the departure of Kalen DeBoer — another Michigan candidate — and Washington has won six games or more in each of his two seasons there.
He’s been all over the country as a coach and even worked under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan a decade ago. Known as an offensive guru, Fisch can help modernize the Michigan offense, and has proven he can hold his own in the Big Ten.
Previous coaching experience in the NFL
Fisch’s NFL experience is vast, as he has coached with the Houston Texans (2002-03, defensive quality control), the Baltimore Ravens (2004-07, offensive assistant), the Denver Broncos (2008, wide receivers), the Seattle Seahawks (2010, quarterbacks), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-14, offensive coordinator), the Los Angeles Rams (senior offensive assistant in 2018, promoted to assistant offensive coordinator the following year), and the New England Patriots (2020, quarterbacks coach).
Highlights from that time in the NFL include:
- Coaching Brandon Marshall in his breakout NFL season — he ranked third among NFL wide receivers in receptions, seventh in receiving yards, fifth in receiving yards per game, seventh in yards after the catch, and third in catches that led to first downs. He also helped Eddie Royal make a significant impact as a rookie with 91 receptions (second-most as a receiver in NFL history).
- Working with Matt Hasselbeck in his final season with the Seahawks, where he threw for 3,001 yards.
- Being a key part of the Rams offensive staff during their Super Bowl run in 2018, serving as the clock management specialist late in games.
He’s got plenty of pro experience and connections across the NFL, which is a key tool he can use in recruiting.
The recruiting impact, especially on the West Coast
As I touched on after National Signing Day last week, Washington signed a sneaky-good 2026 class, which ranked 12th nationally and was headlined by five-star offensive lineman Kodi Greene. He’s also proven to be very capable when it comes to recruiting wide receivers — a weakness at Michigan for a long time now — with Washington signing four-star wide receivers Jordan Clay (Ranked No. 129 nationally ), Trez Davis (No. 182), and Mason James (No. 244).
If the Wolverines were to hire Fisch, they’re getting a guy who knows how to recruit offensive talent and has connections across the West Coast. With the Big Ten expanding in recent years to include Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington, those connections are more and more valuable.
If he were to take the Michigan job, I’d imagine a lot of that No. 12 class would come along with him, and getting off to a good start with that class could help the program tread water during the period of transition.
How he can help Bryce Underwood’s development
I think Michigan needs to prioritize finding a coach who can get the most out of Bryce Underwood, who showed flashes as the No. 1 recruit last season, but failed to develop quickly as the season progressed.
Fisch has plenty of experience on that side of the ball, working with several NFL quarterbacks and running offenses for good college programs across the country. He also can bring in wide receivers, like the ones mentioned above, to maximize the weapons Underwood would have at his disposal.
Fisch could play a big role in Underwood potentially staying at Michigan, and keeping that elite talent keeps Michigan’s ceiling as a program high. With Fisch bringing in good recruits and helping Underwood grow, Michigan can get right back in the College Football Playoff picture and even improve upon last season in his first season at the helm.
Who do you want to be Michigan’s next head coach? Let us know in the comments below.
