Since former Arizona Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch jumped on the Washington Huskies bandwagon, the program has been living in fear, dreading when he might hit the exit door. But right now, the Big Ten’s UCLA Bruins seem to be on Fisch’s recent call logs after firing DeShaun Foster. However, according to the fans, everything is not as straightforward as it appears. There exists a sly plan behind it.

On October 9, On3 dropped the big update: “NEW: Washington’s Jedd Fisch is a name to know in UCLA’s head coach search, @PeteNakos_ reports👀” Now the question remains: Who is going to take the risk and accept the head coaching throne at UCLA? After all, the Bruins are considered one of the worst teams in the Power 4.

Well, Fisch is in his second season at Washington. He wrapped up his three-year stint after rebuilding Arizona from 2021 to 23. If he returns to UCLA as a head coach, it will be a familiar abode for him – rebuilding.

After all, Fisch served as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017. Talking about his capability of holding the head coaching seat? He had experience in that, too, as Fisch was the interim coach for two games, leading the Bruins to a win against California before losing to Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl.

Significantly, UCLA pulled the trigger on Foster on September 14. On September 15, Fisch seemed to be all in for the Huskies, since the Apple Cup against Washington State was just around the corner. “Yeah, I’m focused on the fact that we’re playing a team that beat us 24-19 and that is literally the only thing that I’m thinking about. We had a really tough game against [Washington State] a year ago. We got stopped on the 1-yard line. My mind is strictly on that.”

But what makes the fans think Fisch would jump into the fire in UCLA and come out unscathed without even treading into the Bruins’ territory?

Fans read between the lines as Jedd Fisch’s name starts doing the rounds for the UCLA job

In USA Today’s list of the highest paid head coaches, Fisch stands at No.22. That’s what makes a fan believe the Washington head coach might want to climb the ladder: “Jedd Fisch being linked to UCLA. Likely just agent leverage for a pay increase at UW, but interesting to monitor.” Washington is scheduled to pay Fisch $7,575,024 for the 2025 season. But now, that number could go up based on potential bonuses.

The Huskies under Fisch are in a far better place than the Bruins. They started with four-game back-to-back losses under Foster. So, a fan highlights the logical side of the buzz: “Negotiating leverage. Follow the logic. Why in the world you would take the UCLA job over Washington? You wouldn’t. He wouldn’t either.” Fisch struggled with the Huskies in his first season and hit a 6-7 record. But this season, they had a good 3-0 start.

After coaching them for three seasons, Fisch did not take long to cut his connections with the Arizona Wildcats. On January 4, 2024, he promised, “We want to be a part of this program for a long time.” Just 10 days later, he flipped the script. So, this fan can’t really doubt Fisch’s potential move, “Why would he downgrade 😭.” In that case, Fisch left his Big 12 job to chase Big Ten dreams, compete for national championships, and inherit a storied program with a strong foundation.

To poach Fisch out of the Wildcats, Washington athletic director Troy Dannen and other UW staffers flew to Tucson and signed Fisch to a seven-year contract that will pay him $7.75 million per season. So, according to a fan, the current Huskies head coach won’t disappoint them after such sincere efforts, “Feels like a weird career move unless he’s feeling something is very wrong at Washington. Same conference. Washington is the better job on paper right now too.” Fisch had turned down Arizona’s offer, which was ready to hand out a five-year deal, worth $5.1 million per season, just for more money.

According to a fan, NFL agent Doug Hendrickson might be a mastermind in helping Jedd Fisch squeeze in some extra dollars. “Classic move from the agent handbook. Doug Hendrickson tossing a name to @PeteNakos_  – nothing new here. Playbook move: leverage rumor, secure raise, rinse and repeat.”

So, according to this fan, it’s probably a money move, not a moving move. After all, the Washington Huskies have a spread ready worth $1,550,000 as the maximum bonus for Fisch. Is the universe testing the head coach’s integrity all over again?