Kalen DeBoer delivered his sixth career double-digit winning season as head coach in 2022 and followed that up with historic results in the 2023 season. However, his latest achievement would be his last as DeBoer has taken the job at Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement.
Who is next up in Seattle?
University of Washington Coaching Staff 2023
Following an impressive 11-2 debut, the Huskies have entered a new era of coaches spearheaded by DeBoer. They’ll go through a complete overhaul on their staff as it appears Jedd Fisch is on his way to town.
Head Coach, Jedd Fisch
The remaining staff members will fill themselves out, but Fisch is in at Washington. Reported early rumblings have Fisch’s contract at six years and over $9 million a year, signaling a new era of Washington Football.
Turning the tide in 2023, Fisch orchestrated a 10-3 record with the Arizona Wildcats and put his name on the map as one of the top coaching candidates for a big opening this offseason.
MORE: Jedd Fisch Hired as Next Washington Head Coach
Fisch will likely have his work cut out for him to make a new staff, and we’ll wait to see which of his current Arizona coaches he brings with him.
As such, the staff below will remain as it was under DeBoer until we get official confirmation around Fisch’s first staff with the Huskies. We’ll update this as Fisch continues to build out his staff.
Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, Ryan Grubb
Grubb enters his second season with UW and was the first assistant hire when DeBoer was named UW HC.
It’s also Grubb’s fourth straight season serving in the OC chair. He was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State during the two seasons DeBoer was the head coach. Those offenses led the Mountain West Conference in total yards per game, including the 2021 team that racked up 464.8 yards per game.
MORE: Pac-12 QB Rankings, 2023
The team also featured future NFL players Jake Haener, Ronnie Rivers, and Jalen Moreno-Cropper at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, respectively. Now, Grubb has Heisman Trophy hopeful QB Michael Penix Jr. and potential first-round talents at WR in Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze returning. Odunze even ranks as CFN’s No. 1 Pac-12 WR ahead of 2023.
Outside of quarterbacks, Grubb specializes in trench play, as he served as the offensive line coach for Eastern Michigan from 2014-2016 when DeBoer was the OC. He also began as the OL coach for FS when Jeff Tedford was hired. His Bulldog offensive lines became one of the best in the MWC at protecting the passer, allowing only 22 combined sacks in their first 28 games.
Grubb was also on the Sioux Falls staff with DeBoer. Another stellar season under him could mean Grubb’s own coaching elevation, potentially leading to a future head coach position.
Assistant Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach, William Inge
And, like DeBoer and Grubb, Inge’s defenses have seen statistical improvement.
During his time at Fresno State, the Bulldogs went from ranking 82nd in scoring defense in 2019 to skyrocketing to 20th when he took over in 2020. The Bulldogs’ total defense also saw a jump, from No. 88 in ’19 to 31st in ’20. In his first season with the Huskies, Washington settled in at fourth in the Pac-12. However, Inge’s unit improved their average yards against the run to 121.2 yards per game.
Inge has his own top returner in edge rusher Bralen Trice, who led the way with nine sacks and 12 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Co-Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach, Chuck Morrell
Morrell continues the current trend of longtime DeBoer assistants on the ’23 staff.
Morrell was DeBoer’s DC at Sioux Falls and has followed him to Fresno State and now Washington. While in California’s Central Valley, Morrell helped oversee five defensive players who earned All-MWC recognition. That included the eventual 2022 fifth-round cornerback of the Dallas Cowboys, DaRon Bland.
He’ll have towering 6’3″ Asa Turner back, who showed improvement in his tackles under Morrell’s coaching last season.
Special Teams Coordinator and Edge Rush Coach, Eric Schmidt
Schmidt is another former DeBoer assistant from Fresno State. However, he never worked with him at EMU or the University of Sioux Falls.
During his time at FS, Schmidt coached a defensive line unit that contributed 20.5 of the Bulldogs’ 25 sacks in 2020. In 2021, he coached future NFL players Arron Mosby and David Perales, who combined for six sacks.
Schmidt will be coaching Trice in the edge rush room for ’23.
Assistant Head Coach, Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, JaMarcus Shephard
While Shephard is a returning member of the UW staff, he was considered an outside hire for DeBoer, as he came from Purdue (2017-2021). He even spent one season at Washington State in 2016. Now, Shephard has one of the strongest WR groups coming back for ’23, led by the duo of Odunze and McMillan.
Defensive Line Coach, Inoke Breckterfield
Breckterfield was another coach considered as an outside hire for DeBoer. However, he came to UW with extensive Power 5 experience, including stops at his alma mater Oregon State and UCLA in the Pac-12. He has also coached at Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh.
Breckterfield was the DL coach behind future three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald, at Pitt. Along with Trice, Breckterfield coached Voi Tunuufi to career-best marks last season.
Cornerbacks Coach, Julius Brown
“Juice” returns for his second season with UW after coming over from Fresno State. He originally oversaw the “Husky” position in Inge’s 4-2-5 scheme at FS. Before joining UW and FS, he helped develop Dont’e Deayon and Darian Thompson into NFL players at Boise State. He has also had coaching stints at Texas Tech, Utah State, Arkansas State, and Troy.
Offensive Line Coach, Scott Huff
Huff is the lone holdover from the Chris Petersen regime, joining UW in 2017. Since then, he has established himself as one of the conference’s best at producing NFL talent in the trenches and has had several All-Conference selections. His most recent creations in the league are Kaleb McGary of the Atlanta Falcons, Jaxson Kirkland of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Luke Wattenberg of the Denver Broncos.
Running Backs Coach, Lee Marks
Marks is entering his second season with UW and has built a reputation as one of the conference’s top recruiters, including in the transfer portal. He successfully recruited Dillon Johnson from Mississippi State and Daniyel Ngata from Arizona State. He also secured a commitment from California’s top 100 prospect, Tybo Rogers, for the 2023 class from Bakersfield High. Before joining UW, he helped develop Alexander Mattison into a physical future NFL starter at his alma mater, Boise State.
Tight Ends Coach, Nick Sheridan
Sheridan has ties to DeBoer from their lone season together in 2019 at Indiana. During that time, he coached Peyton Hendershot, who broke IU’s TE records with 52 receptions for 622 yards. After working with DeBoer, Sheridan took on the OC role in Bloomington, where he coached Penix. Last season, he helped TE Jack Westover achieve career-best numbers in receptions (31) and yards (342).