This state law may have cost Arizona its former HC Jedd Fisch

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 shortlist of candidates to replace the retiring Nick Saban.

Fisch signed a seven-year contract with Washington that would pay him $7.75M annually. The 47-year-old coach earned just $3.25M in base salary with Arizona last season.

Washington not only gave Fisch a significant raise per annum. They also signed him to a contract length that would have been illegal in the state of Arizona.

Given that Fisch worked for 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 $240M “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.

Fisch was just getting to the good part in Arizona, too. The Wildcats recorded their first 10-win season in nearly a decade last season. Arizona finished their 2023 campaign on a seven-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.