Arizona state law cost Wildcats Jedd Fisch
Nov 12, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch looks on in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
An Arizona state law may have played a significant role in Arizona losing head coach Jedd Fisch to the coaching carousel.
Fisch left Arizona after three seasons to replace Kalen DeBoer at Washington. DeBoer was chosen from Alabama’s short list of candidates to replace the retiring Nick Saban.
Fisch signed a 7-year contract with Washington that would pay him $7.75 million annually. The 47-year-old coach earned just $3.25 million in base salary with Arizona last season.
Washington not only gave Fisch a significant raise per annum, but they also signed him to a contract length that would have been illegal in the state of Arizona.
Given that Fisch worked for the University of Arizona, which is a state public school, he was considered a government employee. State laws indicate that government employees can only be signed to a contract of up to five years.
Arizona has also been dealing with a $240 million “budget shortfall” that has severely limited the school’s financial spending power in all aspects — including sports.
It’s hard to blame Fisch for taking Washington’s deal, which offered more money and guaranteed years than Arizona could given both legal and financial limitations.
However, the logic behind the decision doesn’t take away the sting of losing Fisch. Arizona fans watched Fisch turn around their program in the span of three seasons. Good times appeared to be ahead under Fisch as the team debuts in the Big 12 next year.
The Wildcats just recorded their first 10-win season in nearly a decade. Arizona finished their 2023 campaign on a 7-game win streak, including victories over five ranked opponents in that span.
Fisch made significant strides with Arizona’s football program after inheriting a team that finished 0-5 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The team went 1-11 in Fisch’s first year, 5-7 in his second, and 10-3 in his third.