TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Football Head Coach Jedd Fisch has been named one of 12 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, as announced today by the Football Writers Association of America.

Since Coach Fisch took charge of the program prior to the 2021 season, Arizona has improved in wins the last two years. The Wildcats went from 1-11 in 2021 to 5-7 in 2022, and 9-3 in 2023, marking an eight-win improvement from 2021 to 2023 which is the largest win improvement over a span of two seasons in program history.

Arizona capped the 2023 season with a dominant 59-23 win over rival Arizona State, marking the second straight win over ASU for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The Wildcats have been led by impressive improvement on both sides of the ball over the last two to three years.

The improvement began on offense with the Wildcats jumping from 101st in total offense in 2021 to 20th in total offense in 2022 and then 18th in total offense in 2023. Arizona moved from 124th in the nation in scoring offense two seasons ago to 22nd in 2023, jumping from 17.2 points per game in Coach Fisch's first season to 34.3 points per game this past season.

Defense saw a rise in performance over the past two seasons, moving from 124th in total defense to 36th nationally on the defensive side of the ball. The defense was solid in the red zone in 2023 finishing 11th in the nation in red zone defense compared to 97th in 2022. The Wildcats surrendered far fewer points in the 2023 season compared to 2022, moving to 26th (20.8 ppg) nationally in scoring defense this season, compared to 125th (36.5 ppg) nationally in allowing points a season ago.

Under Coach Fisch's leadership, the Wildcats finished third in the Pac-12 and are heading to the Alamo Bowl, making an appearance in a bowl game for the first time since 2017. This is the highest finish in the conference for the Wildcats since winning the South Division and making an appearance in the Pac-12 Championship game against Oregon in 2014.

Over the past two seasons, Arizona has had one of the most explosive offenses in college football, finishing tied for 14th in the regular season with 72 plays of 20-plus yards in 2023 and finishing 9th in college football with 84 plays of 20-plus yards in 2022.

The 12 finalists have been placed on a ballot which has been sent to the entire FWAA membership today. The 2023 recipient will be announced on Wed., Dec. 20. The official presentation will be at a reception Sat., Jan. 6, 2024, in Houston, the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship.

2023 Eddie Robinson Award Finalists
David Braun – Northwestern
Jamey Chadwell – Liberty
Kalen DeBoer – Washington
Eliah Drinkwitz – Missouri
Jedd Fisch – Arizona
Rhett Lashlee – SMU
Chuck Martin – Miami (Ohio)
Mike Norvell – Florida State
Barry Odom – UNLV
Nick Saban – Alabama
Steve Sarkisian – Texas
Jon Sumrall – Troy