Jedd Fisch’s brief UCLA tenure still resonates on Bruins’ roster

LOS ANGELES — When members of the UCLA shot programme participate Arizona Stadium connected Saturday nighttime for their Pac-12 Conference game, astir volition look crossed the tract and spot coaches liable for helping them go Bruins.

First-year Arizona manager Jedd Fisch was hired distant from Michigan by then-UCLA manager Jim Mora successful January 2017 to go the Bruins’ violative coordinator and assistance with recruiting.

Fisch’s recruiting efforts provided an other level of familiarity this week with players similar receivers Kyle Philips, Chase Cota and backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

The manager started gathering a narration with Thompson-Robinson erstwhile Michigan offered the backmost connected June 10, 2016. Coincidentally, a UCLA assistance connection followed 2 weeks later. Michigan whitethorn person been the favourite to onshore a committedness from the Bishop Gorman High recruit, but Fisch’s determination to UCLA helped gully the backmost to the Bruins.

“Coach Fisch and I person had a large narration ever since helium was astatine Michigan and past came implicit to UCLA,” Thompson-Robinson said. “He was a large portion of wherefore I chose UCLA, him arsenic an violative manager is thing I admire.”

As a four-star prospect, Thompson-Robinson is inactive listed arsenic Fisch’s 2nd highest-rated recruit, according to 24/7 sports, down receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who committed to Michigan successful 2016.

Fisch’s tenure astatine UCLA lasted lone a twelvemonth but allowed him the accidental to summation his archetypal caput coaching acquisition aft Mora was fired successful November 2017, aft a 28-23 nonaccomplishment to USC.

“It was large to beryllium capable to pb a team,” Fisch said. “It was not the benignant of circumstances you ever privation to bash it in. I emotion Jim (Mora) and didn’t privation it to beryllium a abbreviated tenure. I wanted to assistance (him) crook it backmost around.”

Fisch led the Bruins to a 30-27 triumph implicit Cal a time earlier UCLA announced the hiring of Kelly with a five-year, $23.3-million contract.

Fisch finished the twelvemonth with a 35-17 nonaccomplishment to Kansas State successful the Cactus Bowl, UCLA’s past vessel crippled appearance.

“It was a bully mates of games to beryllium the caput manager determination but I saw myself arsenic the violative coordinator there,” Fisch said. “I see it (Mora’s) vessel crippled truthful successful six years they got to 5 vessel games (with him arsenic coach).

The 2 offensive-minded coaches spoke extensively aft Kelly archetypal took over, but kept their region soon aft arsenic Kelly tried to assemble his caller coaching unit and fastener successful the recruiting people that featured Thompson-Robinson.

“I didn’t person a agelong modulation with Jedd,” Kelly said. “I was determination for a week oregon 2 and they were practicing for the vessel game.

“We stayed distant and fto him manager the team. He was interviewing for a fewer jobs truthful helium wasn’t truly around.”

Fisch moved connected from UCLA and spent 2 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, arsenic a elder violative adjunct nether caput manager Sean McVay, earlier leaving successful January 2020 to go the New England Patriots’ quarterbacks coach.

Receiver manager Jimmie Dougherty did enactment for 3 much years astatine UCLA, earlier joining Fisch’s unit arsenic the quarterbacks manager aft the 2020 season.

Dougherty was liable for recruiting 4 four-star walk catchers connected the Bruins’ roster: Philips, Cota, choky extremity Michael Ezeike and receiver Logan Loya.

“I deliberation it’s surely an vantage due to the fact that Jimmie was determination for 4 years,” said Fisch, who brought Dougherty to UCLA with him from Michigan. “He was a portion of either the recruiting oregon practicing (with a batch of the existent UCLA roster). He has a bully consciousness for what they bash and recognizes the endowment of Kyle Philips, Chase Cota and the choky extremity (Greg Dulcich).”

Fisch won’t overthink the crippled program due to the fact that of his familiarity with the Bruins and alternatively instrumentality to the movie they person connected UCLA from the archetypal six weeks of the season.

Senior linebacker Bo Calvert and the UCLA defence volition instrumentality a akin attack against Arizona.

“A batch of the guys present were going against immoderate of (Fisch’s offensive) looks portion helium was here,” Calvert said. “But we’re conscionable going to ticker the movie that they person and instrumentality the idiosyncratic broadside retired of it with immoderate relationships immoderate of the players connected this squad whitethorn have.”