Penn State is about to run into a coach who has spent his career taking the long way around.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch has already built a résumé that stretches from the Arena Football League to the NFL and now into the Big Ten, where he is still getting used to the demands of the conference. This week, the Nittany Lions will see him from the other sideline, and Fisch brings a track record that shows how quickly he has adapted at every stop.
His numbers against ranked teams sit at 8-12, and he is 17-14 against Big Ten opponents. Those records fit a coach whose path has never been linear. Fisch started in the Arena Football League, then worked as a graduate assistant for Steve Spurrier’s Florida teams in 1999 and 2000 before making his name in the NFL.
He spent time with the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks. One of his most notable stretches came with the Denver Broncos, where he coached wide receivers and Brandon Marshall finished the season third in receptions and seventh in receiving yards.
He also coached quarterbacks with the New England Patriots, moving from a Tom Brady offense to working with Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. Another high point came as an offensive assistant to Sean McVay with the Rams during their run to Super Bowl LII.
Fisch eventually carried that experience into college football, with stops at Minnesota, Michigan and Miami. At UCLA in 2017, he took over as offensive coordinator after Jim Mora was fired midseason and helped the Bruins reach bowl eligibility. Even though they lost that bowl game, it gave Fisch another opening to climb.
That opportunity arrived in 2020, when he was named Arizona’s 30th head coach. What followed was the kind of turnaround that gets a coach noticed everywhere.
In three seasons, he took the Wildcats from 1-11 to 9-3 in 2023, added a bowl win, and guided Arizona to its best season ever. The Wildcats finished 11th in the polls, their highest ranking in program history.
Fisch then moved to Washington in 2024 after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama. His first season ended at 6-7, but the Huskies improved to 9-4 in his second. This year has already brought its share of turbulence, including an offseason saga that nearly saw Demond Williams Jr. leave, Washington’s first home loss to an unranked opponent since 2021, its first loss in Los Angeles to USC since 2011, and a major quarterback change.
Even with that noise, Washington sits at 5-3 and remains a troublesome opponent. Fisch’s work has kept the Huskies in position, and they still control their own destiny.
In Other News...
Penn State Just Got A Bigger Problem For Washington Trip
Washingtons quarterback situation is suddenly worth watching closely heading into Penn States trip west, because Jedd Fisch said Demond Williams is expected to start if he feels healthy. Williams has dealt with injuries and uneven play throughout the 2026 season, but he also showed why Washington wants him back on the field when he returned late in a recent game and helped finish off a win.
For Penn State, that changes the shape of the matchup in a hurry. Williams has already been through enough this season to make his availability a real week-to-week question, yet his presence gives Washington a different ceiling and a more dangerous look than the backup plan would offer. The Nittany Lions will be preparing for the possibility that the Huskies get their quarterback back at close to full strength, even if the final call still hinges on how he feels before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Biggest Injury Concern Just Got More Interesting
Penn States injury report brought a little more clarity heading into its matchup with Washington, with left tackle Malachi Goodman and receiver Chase Sowell both listed as probable. Goodman has been a steady presence up front all season, starting all eight games and leading the Nittany Lions in offensive snaps, so his status matters well beyond one lineup note. Defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim is also probable, giving the team a better look on both sides of the ball as the week moves along.
Koby Howard is the one name still worth watching, though, after being listed as questionable. For a Penn State offense that has leaned on continuity in the trenches and depth at receiver, the final call there could shape how the staff approaches its options against Washington. The update leaves the Nittany Lions in a better spot than they might have been, but not quite out of the woods yet. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Campbell Just Gave Penn State Fans A New Reason To Hope
Matt Campbells approach against Purdue offered Penn State fans something they have not seen enough of this season: a little more edge. The fake field goal was the kind of call that immediately changes the feel of a game, and it fit with a broader willingness to take chances instead of settling into the safer, more conservative script that had defined much of the year.
Campbell also showed he was willing to trust his offense in a spot where most coaches would think twice, going for it on fourth down from his own 28-yard line. For a fan base that has spent plenty of time waiting for the Nittany Lions to play with more conviction, those choices mattered, and they left a real question hanging over the rest of the season: was this a one-game shift, or the start of a bolder Penn State identity? [Read more 🡒]