Arizona Wildcats football coach Jedd Fisch inherited a disaster of a program from Kevin Sumlin following the 2020 season. But, he’s done a great job turning it around.
After inheriting a 0-5 pandemic-year team and going 1-11 the next year, they were a very respectable 5-7 last year. That included an upset win over UCLA, late in the year, who at the time was top 10.
And, this year, Jedd Fisch and the Arizona Wildcats are picked a respectable 8th in the preseason media in the PAC 12, and should compete to be bowl-eligible. A lot of that hinges on the play of electric, but turnover prone quarterback Jayden De Lauria. But, a real chance at a .500 record in year three is much quicker than many thought the rebuild could go when the coaching change was made.
Fisch got the job largely because of his background in the NFL. He’s coached under renowned offensive minds like Sean McVay and Brian Billick, and was the quarterbacks coach in New England before taking the job in Tuscon. That NFL experience has him wanting college football to change one rule to make the game more like its pro counterpart. Here is On3 sports with more details.
“I want the hash marks to look like the NFL. That would be number one.”
Generally, the wider hash marks encourage teams to run to the wide side of the field. There’s a big difference between college and the NFL in that regard.
If you’re a coach who runs a West Coast passing offense like Jedd Fisch does, this makes sense. The hashes are so wide in high school and college football that it oftentimes limits the playbook when the ball is all the way on the hash. With the more narrow hashes of the NFL, more of the playbook can be used on any given play due to the consistent amounts of space.
I would support this rule change, though I have no clue what kind of support it would get among the rules committee.
Arizona opens up their season against in-state rival Northern Arizona on September 2 before traveling to Mississippi State in week 2.