Could UW’s Jedd Fisch be a candidate for Michigan’s suddenly vacant coaching job?

Just when it seemed like the coaching carousel was slowing down, the college football landscape shifted again.

On Wednesday afternoon, Michigan shocked the college football world by announcing the firing of second-year coach Sherrone Moore for cause after a university investigation found “credible evidence” that Moore had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore was later arrested and was being held in jail Thursday, but details of his arrest have not been released by authorities.

Biff Poggi will serve as No. 18 Michigan’s interim coach when it plays No. 13 Texas in the Citrus Bowl Dec. 31.

Michigan’s sudden inclusion on the coaching carousel happened extremely late. Around 30 FBS teams have changed coaches this season, but almost all have already filled their vacant positions. A number of ascending coaching candidates have already taken high-profile jobs or signed extensions with improved buyouts.

Washington coach Jedd Fisch, who had been linked to the UCLA and Florida openings over the past few months, is one of the few coaches who did not move to a new job, but also did not sign an extension with his current program. While Fisch’s buyout remains $10 million through the end of December, it drops to a much more manageable $6 million on Jan. 9, 2026, according to his contract. He’s in year two of a seven-year contract.

Michigan — with its large donor base and vast financial resources — is a job that doesn’t come available often. It’s often considered one of the top coaching positions in the entire country.

On Dec. 3, Fisch told KJR’s Dave “Softy” Mahler he “will be coaching at Washington in 2026.” Fisch also previously railed against being included on coaching candidate lists when he affirmed his happiness at UW the Monday after its surprise 13-10 loss against Wisconsin.

“My hope,” Fisch said Nov. 10, “is that our players, our coaches, our families understand how much we love it at Washington.”

But the college football landscape is always shifting, and Fisch has once again been a popular name to link to the now-open Michigan job. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and ESPN trio Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg all included Fisch on lists of potential Michigan coaching candidates.

Fisch spent two seasons with the Wolverines as part of Jim Harbaugh’s staff from 2015-16 as the quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach and pass-game coordinator.

“Fisch likely would be able to spark a Wolverines offense that has been listless the past two seasons,” Feldman wrote about Fisch’s potentially candidacy.

At Washington, Fisch has spent two seasons rebuilding a program that was gutted following its run to the 2023 College Football Playoff championship game. The Huskies have reached bowl games during consecutive seasons — UW faces Boise State in the LA Bowl at 5 p.m. Saturday — and Fisch has a 14-11 overall record and a 9-9 Big Ten record at UW.

The Huskies have played the Wolverines during each of their past two seasons. Fisch led UW to a cathartic 27-17 win against Michigan at Husky Stadium in 2024, his first signature moment on Montlake. But Washington lost a disappointing 24-7 matchup at Michigan Stadium in 2025, as quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw three interceptions and UW’s offense struggled mightily.

Fisch and the Huskies appear to be building for a strong 2026 campaign. Williams will have a full season of starting experience entering his junior year. UW’s exceedingly young roster from 2025 will have an entire offseason to get faster and stronger. Fisch and the Huskies also added the program’s highest-rated recruiting class since 1999, when recruiting websites began recording the information, during the early signing period.

Fisch isn’t the only coach who’s been linked to the Michigan job since it opened Wednesday afternoon. Kalen DeBoer, the current Alabama coach who departed Washington shortly after the 2023 CFP run causing the roster turmoil Fisch has been rebuilding, has also been a popular candidate.

Since replacing Nick Saban for the Crimson Tide, DeBoer has gone 19-7. Alabama missed out on the CFP in 2024 before losing to Moore and Michigan 10-13 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This season, No. 9 Alabama lost the Southeastern Conference championship game to No. 3 Georgia 28-7 on Dec. 6, totaling minus-3 yards rushing during the loss.

Alabama heads to No. 8 Oklahoma for the first round of the 2025 CFP Dec. 19, where the Crimson Tide will face a Sooner team that’s beaten them during each of the past two seasons. An early exit and consecutive four-loss campaigns may encourage Alabama and DeBoer to seek alternate options, with Michigan looming for the former UW coach.

Fisch and DeBoer have been named, in part, because so many programs have already been swept up into one of the most chaotic coaching carousels in recent memory. Penn State hired Matt Campbell, ending his decadelong tenure at Iowa State, who then poached WSU coach Jimmy Rogers to fill the vacancy. LSU and Ole Miss are still trying to navigate the fallout of Lane Kiffin’s decision to head to Baton Rouge, La.

Bob Chesney, coaching CFP-bound James Madison, will head to UCLA. The SEC raided the American for its best coaches: Jon Sumrall will join Florida after leading Tulane through the CFP, Alex Golesh is headed to Auburn from South Florida and Ryan Silverfield will take over Arkansas after a successful spell at Memphis. North Texas’ Eric Morris is going to the Big 12, to take the reins at Oklahoma State.

Additionally, several coaches reworked contracts or signed extensions, particularly after being courted by Penn State, including BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko.