Patriots QB Coach Jedd Fisch to Replace Kevin Sumlin as New Arizona HC

The Arizona Wildcats football team has officially hired Jedd Fisch as its next head coach.

Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN first reported the news.

Fisch has spent this season as the quarterbacks coach for the New England Patriots and has nearly 20 years of experience as a coach at both the college and NFL levels.

He will replace Kevin Sumlin, who was fired earlier this month after going 0-5 in 2020. Arizona suffered a 70-7 loss in the final game of the season, marking the 12th straight loss for the team dating back to last season.

The Wildcats had three losing seasons and a 9-20 overall record under Sumlin.

"When we hired Kevin three years ago, we had very high hopes for our football program," Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement (h/t Adam Rittenberg of ESPN). "Unfortunately, we simply have not seen the results and upward trajectory in our program that we needed to, and I believe now is the time for a change in leadership."

Sumlin will receive a $7.5 million buyout based on the two years remaining on his contract.

Fisch will hope to turn things around despite limited experience as a head coach. His only time running a team came in 2017 with UCLA when he went 1-1 as the interim coach, replacing Jim Mora. He and Josh Rosen led the Bruins to a win over Cal before losing to Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl.

The 44-year-old has also worked as an assistant with the Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans in various roles, including two years as offensive coordinator for the Jaguars in 2013-14.

In addition to being the offensive coordinator at UCLA, Fisch has also spent time with Michigan, Miami and Minnesota at the college level.

This stretch has allowed him to work for an impressive collection of coaches, including Bill Belichick, Sean McVay, Pete Carroll, Brian Billick, Mike Shanahan and Jim Harbaugh, plus Steve Spurrier as a graduate assistant for Florida in 1999-2000.

It could help Fisch turn things around for Arizona after a disappointing run under Sumlin.