Now the real work begins for new Arizona coach Jedd Fisch.
Fisch, who officially took over the UA football program Wednesday, has a massive undertaking in front of him: He must assemble a coaching staff, assess the Wildcats’ personnel and hit the virtual recruiting trail as quickly as possible. Arizona has lost 12 games in a row and at least that many players to transfer over the past year. There’s no time to waste.
Aside from his various media obligations, Fisch’s first act was to address the current Cats via Zoom. He advised them to take a few days off from football to enjoy the holiday weekend with their families.
“You should step away from the game of football,” Fisch told them. “You should really embrace being at home, embrace all the challenges that 2020 brought and really be appreciative and be grateful. And while you’re doing that, I’m going to do everything I can to find you the best assistant coaches.”
Fisch said he planned to put together a multidimensional staff that includes coaches who currently or have coached in the NFL; currently or have coached in the Pac-12, Big 12 “or surrounding areas”; have played in the NFL; and/or have played at Arizona. While some view Fisch’s multiple job changes over the past decade-plus as a warning sign, he sees it as an asset: He has made many contacts over the years that he can tap into now.
“All good coaches, all good CEOs and all good presidents have to have a great staff,” Fisch said. “I believe wholeheartedly we will have an outstanding coaching staff sooner rather than later.”
Fisch’s five-year contract grants him an annual assistant-coach salary pool of $3.7 million. That’s a slight bump from previous coach Kevin Sumlin’s $3.4 million and puts Arizona on par with rival Arizona State. The Sun Devils ranked fifth among public schools in the Pac-12 in assistant pay for the 2020 season, according to USA Today.
Most of Sumlin’s assistants remain on staff. Fisch said he isn’t obligated to keep any of them — not even defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, who signed a two-year contract last December.
“But I’m going to talk to everybody,” Fisch said.
Once he starts making hires, Fisch plans to reach out to the players to tell them “what type of coach and what type of person” he’s bringing to Tucson to work with them.
“I believe there’s gonna be a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm,” Fisch said, “and people are going to start to talk about why they should come to the University of Arizona.”
Gunnell gone; others too?
Connecting the new assistants to the players is the start of Phase 2, which Fisch described as “recruiting our own team.”
It began with that initial address, but it will take time for him to really get to know them and vice versa.
“I’ve never been in any of their living rooms, and I’ve never met their family,” said Fisch, who estimated that “95% of the team” wasn’t on the recruiting radar when he last coached in college, at UCLA in 2017.
“So they need to get to know me, and they need to see this is a guy I want to play for, this is a program I want to be a part of.”
Whether Fisch and his staff can slow the exodus of talented players remains to be seen. Anyone who’s in the NCAA transfer portal can elect to return. But when a player makes that decision, more often than not they leave.
This month alone, five receivers, two quarterbacks and two offensive linemen have entered the portal or indicated they will transfer — on the heels of multiple defensive backs opting out in the middle of the 2020 season.
On Thursday, sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell committed to Memphis. There had been some thought that Fisch, with his background of coaching NFL QBs, could bring Gunnell back into the fold. But the record-setting passer from Texas, who started four of Arizona’s five games this season, is headed to Memphis to compete for the starting job after the departure of Brady White.
Another veteran quarterback, Rhett Rodriguez, put his name in the portal Wednesday. Rodriguez — who began his UA career under his father, Rich Rodriguez, Sumlin’s predecessor — isn’t expected to return.
That would leave the Wildcats with two scholarship quarterbacks: freshman Will Plummer, who filled in for Gunnell when he was injured; and redshirt sophomore Kevin Doyle, a former three-star recruit who has yet to appear in a game.
Doyle’s father has indicated that his son will transfer, but it’s conceivable he could stick around through spring to see where he stands with the new staff.
Recruiting plan
The highest-rated player in Arizona’s 2021 recruiting class, quarterback Clay Millen of Snoqualmie, Washington, did not sign with the UA last week. He’s back on the market and will be among the players who sign in February. The question is where.
Fisch undoubtedly will reach out to Millen and his family. Although he wouldn’t arrive until summer, Millen would have a better chance of climbing the depth chart with Gunnell, and possibly Doyle, out of the picture.
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, left, and UCLA head coach Jedd Fisch talk before an NCAA college football bowl game, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Despite not having a head coach in place, Arizona was able to ink 16 players during the early signing period. They weren’t explicitly told they could get out of their letters of intent if they didn’t want to play for the new staff, but the UA isn’t expected to block anyone who has a change of heart.
When he arrives in Tucson, likely Monday morning, Fisch said he plans to dive into Arizona’s current personnel and take a long look at the program’s recruiting board. The Wildcats can add 12 more scholarship players. They can be high school recruits or transfers. With the roster depleted, it’s imperative that Fisch and his staff fill all those spots.
Fisch promoted a two-pronged recruiting plan when he spoke to the Star after his introductory news conference Wednesday. Priority No. 1: reestablishing the Arizona brand in-state.
“We have to win the state of Arizona. We have to. We have to find a way,” Fisch said. “We can’t have 57, or whatever it is, Division I players in the state of Arizona, and 52 of them are leaving the state. We should be able to battle for some of those guys.”
Fisch noted that the starting quarterbacks for Oregon (Tyler Shough) and Oklahoma (Spencer Rattler) are from Arizona. So is Brian Lewerke, who spent time this summer with Fisch’s former employer, the New England Patriots. Lewerke attended Michigan State.
Fisch and his staff also will emphasize areas that are accessible from Tucson via nonstop flights. His reasoning: Recruits will be more inclined to sign with the UA if their parents and grandparents can get here easily. Fisch cited three recruiting hubs that fit that description: Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas.
In 247Sports’ database, Fisch is credited with being a primary recruiter for 13 players during his time at Miami (2011-12), Michigan (2015-16) and UCLA (2017). (The site does not list a specific recruiter for every prospect.) One of them is Bruins multiyear starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who attended Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School.
