Washington football: Expectations for year one of Jedd Fisch

Jedd Fisch has some big shoes to fill in Seattle. After going 14-1 with a national title loss to Michigan, Washington football had to join the crop of teams looking for a new head coach following the sudden departure of Kalen DeBoer to Alabama.

Fisch was the right choice after winning 10 games with Arizona and completely turning the Wildcats around in what felt like no time.

Washington had a better roster last season than Arizona so it should be a seamless transition, right? Well, considering that Michael Penix Jr., Dillon Johnson, the team's top receivers, and the defensive stars are moving on, the program is going to take a step back with the current roster unless Fisch continues to add talent through the portal and in the 2024 class.

Fortunately, Washington has the No. 30 recruiting class coming in along with 10 really solid, high-impact transfers, including three stars who followed Fisch from Arizona.

So what can we expect from the Huskies in year one of Fisch?

Considering Fisch needed a few years to turn Arizona into a winner, it's fair to think that he'll need some time to get his players in place, but he is taking over a team that just played for a national title and the cupboard isn't completely bare. I would say that fans should expect immediate success despite the fact that Washington is changing conference.

But looking at the schedule, I can see the Huskies going 9-3. There are some tough games on the schedule like Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and Iowa, but I can see the Huskies winning at least one of those and taking care of the rest of the schedule.

Washington fans shouldn't expect a major step back under Fisch. He's a really good coach and the program is going to thrive under him. He's capable of leading this team to 9-10 wins in year one.