Washington Huskies Embracing New Changes This Spring

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Last season’s National Championship runner-up is ready to step back in between the lines of Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. The Washington Huskies are set to begin Spring practices on Wednesday with intentions to find themselves right back in the mix of the College Football Playoffs. 

The new-look Huskies will have to overcome a bevy of changes from last season with an entirely new starting unit on the offensive side of the ball and a defense that only returns two starters, Elijah Jackson (CB) and Alphonzo Tuputala (LB). This year’s Washington team is ready to embrace the changes and more with Spring practices being tip of the iceberg.

Huskies: Coaching Change

Hired in January after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, Jedd Fisch enters the Dawg Pack after three seasons leading the University of Arizona from the doldrums of the Pac-12 Conference. He and the Wildcats finished 10-3 with a win over Oklahoma in the 2023 Alamo Bowl and ended the year ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25. 

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Fisch is certainly no stranger to change as he has been a part of several coaching staffs at both the collegiate and professional levels during his career. He steps into his new role with the desire to make the entire football program an inclusive atmosphere. To showcase that desire Fisch and his staff are changing everything that the Huskies and fans have become familiar with under DeBoer.

Huskies: Schedule Changes

Except for the first practice on Wednesday, all other practices will be on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule for 11 of the 15 scheduled practices. The final week of practices will shift to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule and the Huskies will conclude practices with their Spring Game under the stadium lights on May 3 and hoping to recapture some Football Friday Night magic with the fans. The event is appropriately dubbed “Dawgs After Dark” and will begin at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Fans have more to be excited about as they too are embracing the new changes around Washington football. This Spring, all fans will enjoy access to all practices including free admission to the Spring Game. This is new territory for the Husky faithful as past practices were closed to the public.

Washington Huskies in 2024-25

The Huskies have quite a task ahead of them for the 2024-25 football season. With a strong 2024 recruiting class and solid additions through the transfer portal, the Huskies are expecting changes at a handful of positions in all three phases of the game.

Fisch and the Huskies are certainly embracing these changes and hoping to ride them back into the CFP. Repeating the success of last season is priority No. 1 for the Huskies. Relying on new players and changes but also needing an old adage to still reign true—that the more things change, the more they remain the same.