70-7.
Ask a University of Arizona football fan what those numbers mean and they’ll tell you they symbolize the program’s crash landing at rock bottom. In reality, 70-7 was the final score of the Arizona versus Arizona State football game in 2020.
It was not a good feeling.
Rightfully so, most fans blamed Arizona’s then-head coach, Kevin Sumlin, a man who had never really put forth a winning effort during his time in Tucson. Fortunately, the powers-that-be at the UA had seen enough and fired Sumlin after the season. In all, Sumlin went 9-20 during his time in the Old Pueblo (nickname for Tucson). It was a disastrous tenure, to say the least.
Enter Jedd Fisch
Truthfully, this one question circulated through the Arizona fandom when the Wildcats hired the next football coach:
“Who’s Jedd Fisch?”
And the answer did not leave many feeling good about the hire. Fisch had been a journeyman assistant coach up to his hire at Arizona. Stints with the New England Patriots, UCLA Bruins and Michigan Wolverines had put him in good company, but he had never led a program, garnering a less-than ecstatic response from fans when Fisch got hired at Arizona.
Still, there was something about his confidence and sincerity that immediately endeared him to Wildcat fans and alumni in a way not seen since Coach Dick Tomey roamed the sidelines during the beloved “Desert Swarm” era in the 1990s.
Ultimately, though, Jedd Fisch had his work cut out for him. 70-7 teams don’t get fixed overnight.
Season #1 Under Fisch
1-11.
These numbers represent the UA Football team’s 2021 record. Obviously, things did not get fixed overnight, but Jedd Fisch did not give up. He and his coaching staff hit the recruiting trail and they hit it hard, bringing in a Top 25 recruiting class for 2022. This was an impressive result for a program whose only victory in 2021 was a 10-3 win over a Cal Bears team depleted by a COVID outbreak.
Big Score!
Perhaps, Jedd Fisch’s biggest recruiting score came in the form of four-star wide-receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, a program-changing player, who could have played at Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State, but ultimately chose Arizona so he could play with his childhood friends and Servite High School (Anaheim, California) teammates Noah Fifita, Keyan Burnett and Jacob Manu.
Originally committed to the Oregon Ducks, McMillan joined Arizona after former Ducks coach, Mario Cristobal, left to coach at the University of Miami.
McMillan should be an instant star at Arizona, along with big-time transfer-portal nabs in former UTEP wide-receiver, Jacob Cowing, and former Washington State quarterback, Jayden De Laura, last year’s Pac-12 Offensive Freshmen of The Year award winner.
Looking Ahead To 2022
Yes, it appears Jedd Fisch has done everything possible to shut down the naysayers. Now, it comes down to winning games. Unfortunately, the scheduling gods have not been kind to Arizona for the upcoming season. The Wildcats open the season against three tough opponents in San Diego State, Mississippi State and North Dakota State.
Still, last year’s recruiting class combined with a solid start to the 2023 recruiting class, prove that Fisch’s confidence and sincerity are paying off.
It also proves that Arizona’s choice to “go Fisching” was the right choice to make.
For More Great Football Content
Follow us on Twitter at @GridironHeroics for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Football news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE