Jedd Fisch didn’t have the benefit of time. He became Arizona’s coach on Dec. 23 — exactly six weeks before National Signing Day. He had to act fast to fill out the remainder of the Wildcats’ 2021 signing class.
Given that constraint — plus the fact that Fisch had been in the NFL the past three years — the move that made the most sense was to pursue players in the NCAA transfer portal.
The portal was teeming with possibilities, with about 1,500 players having entered it since Aug. 1. Meanwhile, Fisch discovered, only about 15% of committed FBS prospects hadn’t signed with schools the week prior to his hiring.