SEATTLE — It was a National Signing Day that felt more like a sigh of relief day for Husky fans.
Head coach Jedd Fisch had the unenviable task of rebuilding a roster that was decimated by the NFL Draft and the transfer portal.
There was also the job of keeping a recruiting class intact and luring his former players from Tucson to come to Seattle.
Fisch called his first few weeks on the job a whirlwind.
"In these three weeks, it truly was, everybody was out doing everything they could to put together a team, keep a team together," Fisch said.
But the best-laid plans are easier said than done.
The Huskies have lost all but two starters from the CFP National Championship Game.
Yet Fisch has found success poaching players, either currently enrolled at or committed to his old school, Arizona.
Eleven of such players have followed him from UA to UW.
That list grew on Wednesday with the addition of four-star recruit Rahshawn Clark.
Clark was committed to Arizona but flipped to UW. He played high school football at Garfield and became the first member of the 2024 class from the state of Washington.
Fisch said he's proud of the nine Washington players, who entered the portal, withdrew, and are back on Montlake.
"They believed in what we were trying to get accomplished and come back," Fisch said.
Fisch did lament the players that left while he was trying to assemble his assistants, but that tone didn't last long.
"They're probably looking back on it now and saying, 'Mmmm. Maybe we shouldn't have (left),'" Fisch said.
One reason Fisch feels that way is because he thinks he's made a home run hire.
"Steve was always a guy that I had my eyes set on that I really wanted," Fisch said of his new defensive coordinator.
Fisch called Steve Belichick brilliant. He's Bill's son and will be paired with Pete Carroll's son, Brennan, the Huskies offensive coordinator.
"Steve Belichick and Brennan Carroll have lived, breathed and were born into the National Football League," Fisch said, clearly believing a pro culture on a college campus is a good fit.
The new UW head coach said he is happy with the roots of his coaching tree.
"The difference of some programs is they want to sell it, we can tell it. We can tell you what it's actually like," Fisch said.
With National Signing Day down, Fisch's sights are now set on the reopening of the portal.
"There's going to be an opportunity in April for a lot of good players to join one of the best teams in the country," Fisch said.