There’s a lot of new things about the Washington Huskies football program. In 2024, the Huskies are headed into a new era for a few rather significant reasons. One, there’s a new head coach in Seattle in Jedd Fisch. Two, the Washington Huskies will be competing in the Big Ten instead of the Pac-12. So, there’s a lot of change.
But, during Big Ten Media Days, Fisch made it clear that there are still some familiar faces around Seattle who have helped the Washington football program over the past few years and will play an active role in defining what this season can be for the Huskies.
Fisch emphasized the importance of player leadership as the Huskies enter their first season in the Big Ten and he noted a key leader on the defensive side of things first.
“We brought Kam Fabiculanan, a safety that's been a part of Washington football for six years,” Fisch said. “He was recruited by Chris Petersen, coached by Jimmy Lake and Kalen DeBoer, and now chose to stay for his final year and be coached by us.”
That’s a long time to stick around one football program in this current era of college athletics, but Fabiculanan has remained loyal to Washington Huskies football. And that’s huge as this program goes through yet another period of change.
Washington Huskies football: Jedd Fisch praises Kam Fabiculanan during Big Ten Media Days
“He's someone who can bring an unbelievable spectrum of ideas and thoughts and values to our program and believes that his leadership will help us achieve our goals,” Fisch explained.
Generally speaking, it’s a pretty big deal when you’ve got a guy on your roster who has remained connected to a program long enough to see four different head coaches lead this team. And given that he was initially committed to play for Chris Petersen, it’s a big deal that Fabiculanan is still intent on leading with the Washington Huskies.
There are a lot of new faces on the 2024 Washington football roster, but Fabiculanan’s presence at Big Ten Media Days puts an emphasis on the importance of having something that resembles continuity for this team. Fisch was wise to shine a light on Fabiculanan’s leadership as the Huskies navigate all of the changes they’re facing this season.
Having a player who can fully understand the program’s culture can help connect Fisch’s staff with the rest of the roster and also to the fanbase and community they’ll be representing. Brilliant move on Fisch’s part, to be completely honest.