“We’re trying to get to the CFP,” Jedd Fisch said on Wednesday afternoon, meeting with the media. The goals of the Husky football program are set, and Fisch has finished putting together his coaching staff for the 2025 season. It includes 11 new full-time coaches consisting of quality control personnel, assistants, and analysts. “We’ve got to look at our competitors being Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Georgia, Alabama,” Fisch continued. “If those guys are going to be our competitors, then we need to make sure that we’re matching them with effort and personnel.” It’s clear the direction Fisch is pointing the ship on Montlake. As Spring Practice inches closer, we got a lot of insight into the workings of Washington football for this Fall.
Washington Football Support Staff Additions
In year two of the Fisch tenure, the mantra continues to be creating an NFL model. The NCAA has removed limitations on the number of coaches that can be on staff beginning. As such, Fisch has taken the “NFL model” to a new level. “We’ve really taken on that NFL model in regards to having quality control coaches, assistant position coaches, assistant coaches, coordinators, and the head coach,” he said. The new Husky staff mirrors that.
The Husky football support staff now includes a senior director of player personnel Matt Doherty. Jacob Crawford is the new director of player personnel, and Erik Hamburg is the assistant director of player personnel. Fisch named Silas Clapham the team’s director of college scouting. This role is aimed solely at the transfer portal, evaluating who’s entered, who’s planning to enter, and the decisions surrounding player acquisition. Marcus Griffin is the new director of recruiting, a Bellevue, Washington native with ties to the region. Additionally, Jaleel Wadood is the new director of high school relations. Fisch noted Wadood’s five-star rating as a high school player in 2014, explaining how that experience as a recruit can translate to being a recruiter.
“I’ve never heard an NFL team say, ‘We want to build our team through free agency’,” Fisch said. “They want to build it through the draft. In the same regard, we want to build our program through high school recruiting.” The Washington support staff now includes 11 roles dedicated to player management, recruiting, or development. Bringing in these assistants not only bolsters the team’s recruiting strength but provides younger players with more resources in their development. With more “touch-points,” as Fisch called them, players at all levels within the team can benefit from the depth of coaches.
Contracts and Cap Management
Fisch also discussed the school’s hiring of a vastly important new role on the Husky Athletics support staff. Cameron Foster is a veteran professional agent who founded Reign Sports Management and later worked at Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. Foster is the school’s new director of contracts and cap management. With revenue sharing on the horizon, Foster will oversee NIL, salary caps, and the analytics surrounding the quickly moving world of player earnings in all sports.
What Makes Husky Football Different
“The uniqueness of what we try to get done is our investment in the kids,” Fisch said on Wednesday. The players at Washington Football are constantly given the opportunity to be around professional coaches and players. Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll highlighted that during Spring practice and Fall camp a season ago. That continues to be the experience on Montlake where Mike Shanahan and Sean McVay will speak at the upcoming Coaches Clinic in April. “We [continue to] welcome and open our building to that,” Fisch said.
In addition to the pro mentality, it’s also a family-oriented staff at Washington. When Fisch took the job at Washington, 23 coaches, and their families moved with him to Seattle. In addition to the coaches, several players including Jonah Coleman, Ephesians Prysock, followed suit last year. This season, Tacario Davis, Jacob Manu, and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei made the same transfer from Arizona to Washington.
Washington also has a unique 5th Quarter Life After Football Program. Fisch mentioned how upwards of $2 million dollars has been donated to this program for their players. This program helps players with leadership development, money management, and resume building as they navigate the professional side of their collegiate education.
Spring Practice On Deck
The next time we hear from Fisch will be the Monday of the week Spring practice kicks off. But as of late February, we’ve seen an in-depth look at how the 2025 Husky football staff will operate. It’s one focused on building its personnel in high school recruiting, and developing players for the Big Ten, all while providing the athletic and professional resources needed to be successful. “You come here if you want to play in the NFL,” Fisch said. This staff is set up for players to do just that.
Spring practices start on April 2nd and Fisch anticipates 95 players to be available. That’s roughly 25 more than Washington had for Spring practice a year ago. Practice will be open to the public once again, and run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through the month of April. It all concludes with Dawgs After Dark on May 2nd.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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