49-year-old Jedd Fisch is entering his second season as the Washington Huskies head coach, coming off a 6-7 2024 season. Fisch walked into a whirlwind last year, tasked with patching together a roster and staff after the domino effect of Nick Saban’s retirement leading to Kalen DeBoer bolting for Alabama.
With that scramble came big, and probably unrealistic, expectations in year one, leaving Fisch to balance rebuilding the program with living up to a fanbase fresh off a national title appearance.
With all things considered, Washington’s 2024 record wasn’t a complete reflection of Fisch’s success. Sure, the Huskies suffered some ugly defeats while trying to establish a new identity, but they also delivered a statement victory in a national championship rematch, knocking off No. 10 Michigan in Seattle.
Beyond the wins and losses, 2024 also revealed pieces of a promising foundation. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and wide receiver Denzel Boston both emerged as potential cornerstones, flashing the kind of playmaking ability that gives fans reason to believe the program is still headed in the right direction. That duo, paired with another year of continuity and a full recruiting cycle under Fisch, is central to hopes for a more stable 2025.
Which brings us to the question of perspective. One season into a rebuild following a chaotic transition, it’s worth asking what’s fair to expect of Fisch in year two. History offers some guidance: previous Washington coaches have faced similar turning points in their sophomore campaigns, and looking back at how they fared may provide a better framework for fans to evaluate Fisch’s progress this fall.
Kalen DeBoer
The loftiest dream for Fisch in year two with the Huskies is to replicate what DeBoer did in his second season. DeBoer immediately turned a 4-8 program into an 11-2 season in his first year leading Washington, and of course, followed that up by doing even better: a 14-1 campaign that featured a national championship appearance, Pac-12 title, Sugar Bowl win, and a Heisman Trophy bid for quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Of course, the college football landscape has changed so much since then that it is unfair to even conceive the expectation for Fisch to mirror DeBoer's meteoric rise. The obvious difference is that Washington is in the Big Ten now, tasked with cross-country matchups against true blue-blood programs.
Beyond that, you can't compare the rosters under each coach in year two, especially at quarterback. Penix Jr. was already an NFL-caliber prospect who was in his sixth season of college football. Meanwhile, Williams is still a raw talent, albeit with a ton of potential, and has only started in two games.
The one change that may make Fisch's job a little easier is that the College Football Playoff expanded from four teams in the 2023 season to 12 this past year, making a dark horse run more feasible, and even predicted by college football analyst Joel Klatt. Still though, fans have to pump the brakes on dreaming of that kind of breakthrough so soon, especially with Washington still adjusting to a new conference and a roster with some holes.