Talking season is underway, and with it the unofficial kickoff of the Big Ten football season is here. Jedd Fisch took the main podium inside the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, signaling the start of the 2025 season. Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman, and Ephesians Prysock represented the Huskies on Wednesday afternoon alongside Fisch.
Jedd Fisch Takes Podium at Big Ten Media Days
Coordinator Introductions
Fisch began by introducing his new position coaches, mentioning how eight of his staff members have been with him for either four or five years. Jimmie Dougherty is one of those staff members, and his tenure alongside Fisch is going into its seventh year. Dougherty and Fisch were together at Michigan for one year, UCLA for another, and spent three years together at Arizona prior to Washington.
Fisch also re-introduced Ryan Walters to the nation on the main podium on Wednesday. “I think he’s probably one of, if not the best defensive coordinator in the country,” Fisch said. The Washington head coach called Walters’ “elite schematics” and “ability to connect with players” a “huge win for the University of Washington.”
Husky Representatives
Fisch then introduced the three players he brought with him to Las Vegas. Starting with Williams at quarterback, Fisch referenced his freshman statistics, specifically his five-touchdown performance against Louisville in a thrilling Sun Bowl at the end of 2024. “[Demond] is an amazing young man,” Fisch said. “Just as [he’s] a special football player, he’s an incredible individual.” Williams just turned 19 years old this Spring and is representing his school alongside only seven other quarterbacks from the Big Ten at Media Days.
“It means a lot for sure,” Williams said, regarding himself being at Media Days. “I just want to keep representing the best way I can.”
In his opening statement, Fisch also referenced his 2022 recruiting class at Arizona. That class ranked inside the top 25 and included both Prysock and Coleman. Fisch spoke to Prysock’s length and physicality in the secondary as a senior. “I’m extremely proud and excited to see what he’ll do in the future.” The second-year Washington head coach also pointed to Coleman’s academic success. He holds a 3.91 cumulative GPA and Fisch said he’ll be the school’s nominee for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, regarded as the ‘Academic Heisman. ’ “He’s a very special person in our lives,” Fisch said. “My wife and I, my girls, I consider him part of our family.”
Big Ten Conference Pedigree
But the biggest takeaway from Fisch’s opening statements was regarding the pedigree of the Big Ten Conference. “We know we are playing in the best conference in the country, with the toughest schedule in the country,” Fisch said. He pointed to the weekly grind of games and demanding travel schedule, comparing it to what’s required at the next level.
“I don’t think you prepare any better for the NFL than playing in our conference,” Fisch continued. “Every week you have to travel, just like the NFL. [The Big Ten] is not a regional league; it is a national league, just the National Football League.” Of the four teams that competed in the national championship in the last two seasons, three are Big Ten members. Fisch added that the fourth, Notre Dame, is also a program located in the Midwest.
“It’s also the best conference academically,” Fisch said. “No conference compares to the research institutions that fill our 18-team conference.” The head coach at Washington is clear in his stance that this conference is elite. It’s been proven on the field in each of the last two seasons with the culmination of the national championship. And it is also proven in the classroom.
Main Image: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
