Jedd Fisch underrated in USA TODAY's Big Ten head coach rankings

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Heading into his third season with the Washington Huskies, Jedd Fisch has a lot to prove when it comes to where he ranks among the best coaches in the Big Ten.

However, after going 15-11 over his first two years with the Huskies, while Fisch hasn't necessarily established himself among the conference's elite coaches, with a 2-5 record against ranked teams so far on Montlake, he's shown off an elite offensive scheme that, at the very least, deserves recognition that should place him in the top half of the conference.

But according to USA TODAY's Paul Myerberg, Fisch is the No. 12 coach in the Big Ten, with Minnesota's P.J. Fleck and Michigan State's Pat Fitzgerald sitting in front of him at No. 10 and No. 11.

"Fisch flies under the radar among his Big Ten peers despite his turnaround at Arizona and last year’s nine-win finish with the Huskies," Myerberg wrote in his reasoning. "One thing Fisch has done very well at each of these stops is develop skill talent, with rising sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. his latest pupil."

In his second year at the helm, thanks in large part to a significant improvement along the offensive line, Fisch led a tremendous improvement on the offensive side of the ball. The Huskies finished No. 4 in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 34.1 points per game, and No. 5 in total offense, averaging 409.9 yards per contest, as Williams took a big step forward in his first full season as the starter.

Now, Fisch and Williams will be looking for high-end playmakers to step up in the absence of running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston, but the Huskies have plenty of promising young talent waiting in the wings behind Freshman All-American wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, like a trio of four-star pass catchers in Jordan Clay, Trez Davis, and Mason James.

While it likely didn't factor into Myerberg's list, Fisch has also proven to be an elite recruiter since arriving on Montlake, pulling in Washington's highest-ranked recruiting class in program history in the 2026 cycle, which could lend to the UW head coach rising up the rankings moving forward.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch underrated in USA TODAY's Big Ten head coach rankings

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos