Michigan doesn’t have the luxury of waiting, and the coaching market is making that painfully clear. Names that once felt realistic are disappearing by the day, but one head-coaching candidate from the same conference continues to divide opinion.

“Since 1999, Arizona football has had 2 seasons with double-digit wins. Jedd [Fisch] was responsible for half that output and achieved it in 3 years, taking over his first-ever head coaching job.” Jake Butt made a case for hiring the Washington Huskies’ head coach, Jedd Fisch. “The team he took over was also winless the year before he got there. Did you want/ expect him to go undefeated year 1 there and every year since?

“He took over a Husky program that lost their entire OL, Heisman finalist and top 10 draft pick QB, top 3 WRs, and top TE. In fact, the Husky team Jedd took over had the FEWEST returning production of any FBS team. ZERO returning offensive starters. 2 returning defensive starters.”

Butt’s defense of Jedd Fisch comes as the Wolverines’ options continue to narrow. Kenny Dillingham, once viewed as a frontrunner, appears increasingly unavailable. With Dillingham all but removed from contention and several other high-profile targets already spoken for, Fisch has surged to the forefront.

Betting market Kalshi now lists the Washington head coach as the clear favorite, giving him a 53 percent chance of landing the Michigan job. Kalen DeBoer trails at 18 percent, with Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea a distant third at 7 percent. Publicly, Fisch has done everything possible to quiet the noise.

Earlier this month, he told KJR’s Dave “Softy” Mahler that he expects to be coaching at Washington in 2026. Still, the reality of college football rarely aligns with public declarations.

If the Wolverines are looking for someone who understands how to rebuild from the ground up, Fisch’s résumé offers a compelling case. An offensive-minded coach with deep experience at both the college and NFL levels, Fisch has built his career by adapting to change.

A University of Florida graduate, he began his coaching journey as a graduate assistant under Steve Spurrier before spending much of the 2000s in the NFL. He later returned to the college ranks, holding offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach roles at Minnesota, Miami, UCLA, and Michigan, where he worked under Jim Harbaugh from 2015 to 2016.

That diverse background paid dividends when Fisch earned his first head coaching opportunity at Arizona. Taking over a program that had gone 12-21 over the previous three seasons, he engineered one of the nation’s most dramatic turnarounds.

The Wildcats improved from one win to five wins, then exploded to a 10-3 record in 2023, culminating in an Alamo Bowl appearance and Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. When Fisch arrived at Washington following Kalen DeBoer’s departure, the situation was no easier. The Huskies’ roster was stripped of elite talent and ranked last in the FBS in returning production.

Despite that, Fisch guided Washington to bowl eligibility in each of his first two seasons and a combined 14-11 record, keeping the program competitive through transition. That ability to steady a program amid uncertainty is precisely what Michigan lacks right now.

Kenny Dillingham is likely to sign a contract extension with ASU

Arizona State narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Big 12 Championship Game for a second straight season after a four-game losing streak derailed its chances. Two of those losses came against top conference opponents in Texas Tech and Utah. Still, despite a disappointing 8-4 finish, the Sun Devils have no intention of moving on from head coach Kenny Dillingham.

According to 247Sports reporter Chris Karpman, Dillingham and Arizona State are close to finalizing contract amendments that would increase his salary to a 7-year-long, $54 million contract. Discussions have reportedly been ongoing for the past two weeks.

This would likely mean a contract extension as well, putting an end to any rumors regarding his exit from the program.

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