Joel Klatt knows the addition of Will Rogers gives Washington a bit of hope for Jedd Fisch’s first season in the Big Ten.

Originally, Rogers committed to the Huskies and former head coach Kalen DeBoer via the transfer portal. After DeBoer left for Alabama, the former Mississippi State starter re-entered the portal as the coaching carousel sorted itself out.

After Fisch arrived and settled in with Washington, Rogers opted to stay with the program and play for the Huskies. He’s likely to be the starting QB for 2024, a piece that gives Fisch “a big win” per Klatt.

“He’s going to go to Washington after all… I think that is a big win for Jedd Fisch. Because now I can look at Washington and say okay, I think they’re going to take a little step back but now you’ve got some players,” Klatt admitted. “I like what Jedd Fisch has done clearly at Arizona, and they brought in the running back Jonah Coleman, a couple corners from Arizona, a couple of offensive linemen… Yeah, they lost some guys, but they’re getting reinforcements.”

Across his career at Mississippi State, Rogers completed over 69% of his passes for over 12,000 career yards with 94 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He thrived under Mike Leach’s offense but struggled throughout 2023. Now, he’ll try to bounce back with the Huskies in the new-look Big Ten.

Washington’s 2023 outlook

While Washington’s roster has stabilized since Fisch’s hiring, the outlook for 2023 is still rocky for the Huskies. The team was always set to lose some key pieces to the NFL, and the schedule is not for the faint of heart.

In the second half of the season, Washington will face Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, USC, Penn State, UCLA and Oregon in the final 7 games of the season. That type of gauntlet will make a return trip to the College Football Playoff difficult in Fisch’s first season.