We can only assume that the Washington coaches feel very good about what the current roster gives them. Coach Fisch only brought in one Edge player from the portal after losing an often enigmatic Zach Durfee and a very valuable piece in big Deshawn Lynch.
Potential. It’s a wonderful word. It gives one hope. A direction. But, that’s all it is. Basically, potential means nothing has been accomplished. As an old coach once said, “potential only means you haven’t done s^*+, yet.” In a year many felt the UW was pointing towards making a push for the playoffs, a series of departures along the front wall has left us with questions, but potential.
Where the staff is going with the defensive line is a hard one for me to understand. I don’t know if what they finished with was their entire plan or if there were wrenches thrown into the works half way through the portal season. While we have to be excited for potential of who the Huskies brought into to program, it is the half empty side of the story that has me concerned.
Back in 1986 while I was serving as a young receiver coach at Central Washington University. Then head coach Tom Parry pulled an old picture out of his desk, looked at it and chuckled a little. “You know, football hasn’t changed much.”
I fully understand the philosophy that Coach Fisch is using to build the roster. Pay the guys that are on your team. You have to take care of your own or somebody else will. If you want to be a front runner, you have to build from within the program, recruiting the high school athlete and developing them for two years, especially the offensive line, to be front line contributors. However, in order to win at the highest level, you still have to have playmakers.
As the Transfer Portal begins to slow to a crawl and the Rosters for the 2026 season begins to solidify with contractual ink beginning to dry, we will take some time and look at each of the position rooms. No one other than the Washington staff knows exactly what went on over the past four weeks. But, one is left with a few observations.
First, the portal did not make the team better than the Huskies were last year. Any improvement on the 2025 season will have to come from the development of players already on the roster. In many ways, I was left with what I call Post-Portal Depression. Less than impressed with what the Dawgs brought in. It is obvious, most of the Husky NIL soft-funds (outside money) was spent on the current roster.
If there is one trait that youth possess that seems to evade the rest of us, it’s the ability to move on. The players at Washington will have to call upon that ability to forgive and move on as they begin winter workouts in preparation for the 2026 season.
Over the last two days, I just watched four national playoff games. Not only were the games fun to watch, even Indiana’s blowout of Alabama, but they vindicated my frustration since 1998. Whether two teams, or twelve, if you are going to have a national championship, you can not call it a National Championship unless teams from throughout the nation are involved.
In a recent presser by Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham spoke on the need for NIL at ASU. ASU is no different than Washington or most other universities around the country. In a time that he was hoping to rally the troops, it ended up turning off many. Unfortunately, when they evaluate it, Dillingham was not who they need to be disillusioned with, but college football itself.
We here at Huskies Central have been watching National Recruiting since 1980. We have watched the disappointing drama of running back Kevin Wilhite to the big wins of Shaq Thompson. I can remember where I was walking on the sidewalk through Central Washington University heading up to the football office when I read in the paper about the commitment of an offensive lineman by the name of Bern Brostek. Every year, new drama. Surprise names and, always, a few disappointments.
There is one thing I remember from my high school basketball coach about playing on the road. When you go on the road, you have to be better than you opponent. You can’t be as good. You have to be better. If you as good, you will lose due to home court advantage. Occasionally, you run into a little home cooking by the officials. So, bring your “A -game” if you hope to win.
There is nothing that coach Fisch or the athletic department has said that points to coach Fisch leaving. Unfortunately, there has been no public comment about his commitment to the University of Washington. Until that happens, there will be speculation.
We have all watched the recent impact of UCLA’s catastrophic decisions trying to play money ball. We have seen the massive strides of schools like Indiana. So, we ask, what is the difference? Both are using the same strategy. In many ways, Washington is doing the same. Washington has brought in very few four or five star transfers. They seem to prefer taking a FCS all-conference player over a once highly ranked FBS transfer.
