TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona is searching for a new head football coach after Jedd Fisch left to become the head coach at the University of Washington on Sunday.
Fisch reportedly signed a seven-year contract that will pay him an average of $7.75 million per year.
He will be taking over for Kalen DeBoer, who left to become the head coach at Alabama after leading the Huskies to a Pac-12 title and a College Football Playoff National Championship Game appearance.
Fisch had become one of the top names in the coaching market after turning Arizona from a zero-win team in 2020 to a 10-win team this past season.
The announcement of Fisch's move brought out a lot of frustration from Wildcat fans on social media.
Much of the frustration from an interview Fisch did on the Jim Rome Show where Fisch said he was committed to the Wildcats. That interview was released on January 4, when Nick Saban was still the head coach at Alabama and DeBoer was still the head coach at Washington. However, many fans used a common word to describe Fisch after the move in reaction to his comments.
The news has also brought out reaction from Arizona players after Fisch reportedly informed them of the move in a meeting that lasted just three minutes.
Linebacker Jacob Manu also posted "I'm sick" on X (formerly known as Twitter) before deleting his post.
Many players also posted messages calling for defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen to become Arizona's next head coach. Nansen took a job as the co-defensive coordinator at the University of Texas last week.
The news also brought out reaction from members of Arizona's 2024 recruiting and transfer portal class.
However, the reaction to the news was not all negative.
Fisch will be formally introduced as the Huskies head coach during a press conference on Tuesday, January 16 at 12 p.m. Arizona time.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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