‘Good first day’: New coach Jedd Fisch gets first look at Huskies as spring camp opens

SEATTLE — As the setting sun turned the Cascade Mountains purple and a frigid wind whipped around Husky Stadium, Jedd Fisch began to speak.

The new Washington football coach had just completed his first spring practice on Montlake. Donning a white visor and a matching hoodie, Fisch said it was a productive introductory session for the Huskies.

“Good first day,” Fisch said. “Good to be back on the field. A lot going on, and to be able to be back with the guys and be able to move practice and be with the kids today was fun. It was fun to see everybody compete, run around and get after it a little bit.”

Washington opened its spring practices Wednesday evening at Husky Stadium. It was the first chance to see the new-look Huskies following the huge roster and staff turnover UW experienced since playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 8.

Fisch and the Huskies have 14 practices remaining, culminating in the spring game at Husky Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on May 3.

“I think today was a good start,” Fisch said. “A good kickoff for what we want practices to be like.”

The Huskies’ first practice under Fisch certainly looked a little different from past seasons. Players rotated between Husky Stadium, the practice field and the Dempsey Indoor Center as they ran through drills. Fisch said he normally tries to avoid practicing on the game field because he wants it to have a special aura for his players, but admitted it’s not logistically possible because of the layout of Washington’s athletic facilities.

The Huskies weren’t in pads Wednesday, and Fisch said they won’t go full contact until Saturday.

Instead, Fisch said the first practice was mostly focusing on fundamentals and technique. He said the spring is going to be important for teaching the work ethic and competition his staff expects from its players. He added he hopes to have 85% of the offense and 80-85% of the defense installed by the end of spring.

“I want to build up a callus of hard work,” Fisch said. “We’re going to start figuring out how to grind.”

Fisch also said he’s going to value repetitions more than worrying about a depth chart this spring as he learns more about the roster he inherited less than four months ago.

The 47-year-old coach added he’s currently relying on film and past experience to determine which players get which repetitions as camp begins. For example, Fisch said he was impressed by wide receivers Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston despite their limited playing time during the past season behind Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk.

Fisch said he’s told his new players he arrived in this new situation with no preconceived notions about who they are or what they are capable of performing. For a majority of the group, he wasn’t a part of their recruiting process to Washington, nor was he part of the past season’s highs and lows. However, he said he knows this is a talented group of individuals who can grow into a great football team.

“I think it’s cool we’re all doing this together,” he said. “We’re all just trying to get to know one another.”

Tickets for Washington’s spring football game, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 3, are free, with seating available on the 100-level on a first-come, first-served basis. Up to 12 general admissions tickets can be reserved for the event. Additionally, all 15 of Washington’s spring practices are free and open to the public.