Arizona coach Jedd Fisch says 'It's personal', wants to develop players into P.R.O.'s

It's been just over a week since new Arizona Wildcats football coach Jedd Fisch set foot on campus and it's tough to tell if he's gotten any sleep yet. 

A typical day in Fisch's shoes consists of watching film early in the morning, team zoom meetings and reaching out to players during the day, followed by more film when the sun goes down.

"It's been one long day it feels like," Fisch told Brian Jeffries, UA's longtime radio play-by-by announcer. "But it's been amazing, so thrilled to be a part of it."

In a 12-minute interview with Jeffries, the 44-year-old coach talked in-depth on his coaching staff hires, turning Arizona players into pro's (and P.R.O.'s) and why he uses the hashtag 'It's personal' in his tweets. 

Here's the main takeaways from the conversation.

Fisch wanted a staff with both college and NFL coaching experience

Arizona's coaching staff for the 2021 season is nearly complete and two traits stand out: experience and diversity. 

"We've tried to obviously take a couple of College Football Hall of Famers that are Wildcats, and then mix them in with a staff of guys from our other programs that have had incredible success," Fisch said.

Fisch's first move as head coach was to hire former Arizona All-Americans Chuck Cecil and Ricky Hunley to the staff. He has since added coaches that he's developed relationships with at his other stops.

A couple of those names include former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, who will take on the same position in Tucson, and Seahawks offensive line coach/run game coordinator Brennan Carroll, who will be UA's offensive coordinator. 

There's going to be a fifth quarter to Arizona football

A fifth quarter in football doesn't exist on the field, but Fisch details that it's for what happens when players leave Arizona.

The primary objective is to, of course, develop Arizona players into professional athletes who going on to get drafted and play in the NFL, an area that's been inconsistent for recent UA coaches. 

The way to be a pro, Fisch explains, is to be a P.R.O. It's an acronym for Proficient, Relentless and Original. 

"Be somebody that's proficient as a student. Be proficient as a football player," he said. "We want to talk about people that are resilient and relentless and talking about people that are willing to go the extra mile."

For 'Original', Fisch said it's all about being authentic to yourself and those around you. But being a P.R.O. doesn't mean just the NFL, as only a small percentage of college athletes go on to the next level.

"A lot of people can become professionals in all different walks of life," Fisch said. "Our goal here is to build a fifth quarter like what happens when the game is over."

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Don't be late recruiting state 48 

Since taking the job, Fisch hasn't been shy about the priority of recruiting in-state and it's already showing. The Wildcats have added two Northwestern transfers who grew up in Arizona, and Fisch was able to convince Tucson native Jamarye Joiner to withdraw from the transfer portal.

Given members of the new coaching staff have ties to several recruiting hotbeds around the country, Jeffries asked Fisch if Arizona could see an influx of talent from those areas.

"I think you have to be aware of players from coast to coast, but we have to lock down Arizona," Fisch reiterated. "We believe that we have a coaching staff, and a facilities and a program that the very best in Arizona should stay home."

You can bet 'It's Personal'

Fisch has quickly become quite the personality on Twitter, frequently posting gifs and hidden clues pointing to coaching hires and players joining the program before they've been officially announced. 

In doing so, it's allowed him to include the hashtag 'It's personal', a phrase that that has multiple meanings but is one simultaneous rallying cry for the program.

#ItsPersonal #BearDown #NewBeginnings https://t.co/u2BHivM5ii

— Jedd Fisch (@CoachJeddFisch) January 6, 2021

"When people want to take shots at us, people want to question what we're going to do or where we're going to be," Fisch said. "That's personal."

Fisch added, "it's the personal relationship that you're going to build with your coach, it's the personal relationship you're going to build with your teammates."

Build it and they will come

In previous interviews, Fisch has acknowledged it may take some time to rebuild the Wildcats program. However, he has a vision as to what he wants the future to look like. 

"My hope is that we'll have every person in every seat," he said.

That may sound like a pipe dream to Arizona fans given the downtrend in attendance the last few years, but Fisch's plan is twofold: embrace the community and build a program people want to come watch. 

"If we can build the greatest environment of a football program," Fisch said. "Every player in the state will want to be a part of it."

"But it starts with our fans. It starts with our community. And let's make this the greatest home field advantage in the country."