Jedd Fisch and Washington Huskies hoping for more in second Big Ten season

SEATTLE (AP) — If there’s anything Jedd Fisch has learned heading into his second season as Washington coach, it’s that the Huskies will often have their hands full in the Big Ten.

Washington received quite the introduction in as much last year, going 4-5 in conference play as part of a 6-7 campaign under the 49-year-old Fisch.

“We have a hard conference. We have really good teams,” Fisch told reporters Tuesday morning. “We have a lot of big-name programs that have spent years and years building up rosters, coaching staffs, facilities, fan base, etc., to be able to prepare themselves to play in the Big Ten.”

Perhaps the Huskies weren’t quite ready for conference heavyweights like Penn State and Oregon last season, as they lost to both teams by at least four touchdowns. But 18 months removed from being hired as the 31st head coach in Washington history, Fisch is confident in the direction of the program.

Sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who appeared in 13 games for the Huskies as a freshman and completed more than 78% of his passes, is slated to be the starter this fall, much to Fisch’s delight.

Outside of on-field personnel, though, Fisch alluded to some of the changes within the program being beneficial — like Jimmie Dougherty getting promoted to offensive coordinator, and former Purdue coach Ryan Walters being hired as the new defensive coordinator.

“It’s now nice to feel grounded, and it’s nice to feel like we’re going into year two,” Fisch said. “We know our team really well. We know our program really well. We understand the community really well. And now, I think we’re at a point where we can really take that next big step.”

To do so, the Huskies will still have to sort out some position battles over the next month-plus leading up to the season opener Aug. 30 against Colorado State. One position of particular interest is wide receiver, as Fisch stressed the need to figure out a four-man rotation, which he intends to utilize in 2025.

Fisch said one spot can essentially be set aside for Denzel Boston, who was second on the team in receptions (63) and yards receiving (834) last year. Outside of that, it’s a relatively wide-open competition, featuring the likes of Rashid Williams, Audric Harris, Kevin Greed Jr. and Penn State transfer Omari Evans, among others.

Fisch also anticipates a good amount of competition in the trenches, describing a “big battle” looming on the offensive line. He highlighted Paki Finau, Champ Taulealea, John Mills, Zachary Henning, Drew Azzopardi, Carver Willis, Max McCree and both Landen and Geirean Hatchett as linemen to keep tabs on.

“We’re talking about 10 guys that have had experience, or we believe are at an elite level as a freshman that can go compete immediately to make an impact,” Fisch said. “So, it’s going to be a lot different look than it was a year ago at this time.”

Should Fisch have his way, the Huskies will hold up a lot better this fall than they did in 2024. It remains to be seen whether Washington will be able to hang with the bellwether programs on its schedule like Ohio State and Michigan, but Fisch is just grateful his school is in the Big Ten.

“We have a really, really good conference with really, really good coaches, really good administrators,” Fisch said. “We have a commissioner (Tony Petitti) that understands how to take us to the next level. So, we’re really positioned exceptionally well.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football