Jedd Fisch avoids answering question about being linked to head coaching openings

A handful of major jobs have now opened up around the country, from Florida to Penn State, with a number of schools in between. Washington coach Jedd Fisch has seen his name thrown out there in connection to some of them.

But the head coach isn’t entertaining any coaching carousel talk right now. He was asked pointedly about his future with Washington on Monday and politely shut things down.

“Yeah, I’m not going to address any of the coaching changes or coaching rumors or anything to that effect,” Jedd Fisch said. “I’ve learned from that that the most important thing we can do here is talk about being where our feet are.”

Washington is coming off a tough loss to Michigan, its second such loss of the season. For all intents and purposes, that likely ended any shot the team had at reaching the Big Ten title game.

Still, Jedd Fisch wants to make sure his team puts together as solid a campaign as possible. It’s not likely to do that if he’s out there openly discussing potential moves.

“I think it’s a really important time for us to play really well this week, and that’s what our focus is on,” Fisch said. “My responsibility is to make sure that our team is fully ready to play our best game on Saturday.”

So far, Jedd Fisch has been linked to the Florida job. He’s got some obvious ties there, having worked under Steve Spurrier during the Gators’ heyday.

ESPN insider Pete Thamel linked Fisch to the Florida opening along with a couple other names. He expanded on the College GameDay Podcast.

“I think the name Jedd Fisch is going to be bandied around, too, the Washington coach,” Thamel said. “He’s a Florida grad. He was famously Howie Roseman‘s roommate for like six weeks their sophomore year. Jedd Fisch came through there, student worker under Spurrier, not a player. And has had great success so far at Washington.”

Jedd Fisch has been a popular name in coaching circles after he helped execute a major turnaround at Arizona. He appears to be in the process of doing the same at Washington.

Fisch went from 1-11 in his first year at Arizona to 10-3 by his third year. He went 6-7 during his first season at Washington and is now 5-2, looking for a significantly better finish in his second year.