While no one is practicing this week in major college football Todd Blackledge and I sat down to reflect on our Road Trip this past spring in the Big Ten.

In today’s Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth podcast we explore the conference that has crowned the last three National Champions and this past December, welcomed four new head coaches. And for the first time on this podcast we went LIVE on YouTube and X. If you haven’t subscribed, please do so you never miss a conversation around college football, Coast to Coast.

Todd and I share our lessons learned and intel gathered from Penn State, UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Illinois.

As always, every podcast is fueled by our founding sponsor, 76, keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat.

As always, much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’ve known Jedd Fisch for a long time.

So long that when I walked into his building this spring, I didn’t just see a head coach in year three — I saw the same guy from 2019 sitting outside his home in Hermosa Beach, pulling out notes and asking, what do you think of this?

Back then, it wasn’t a job.

It was a vision.

I remember him walking me through it — how he’d structure a program, how he’d communicate, how he’d build it for players, his PRO mantra and more. It was detailed. Thoughtful. Almost like he was already living in a future that hadn’t arrived yet.

Fast forward to today, and you can feel it the second you walk in the Washington facility.

The building looks different. The roster looks different. The energy feels…settled.

Not comfortable. Just clear. There is a steadiness to it.

But every head coach has a starting point, and for Washington head coach Jedd Fisch, it all started with his curiosity to learn about the game of football.

And that is where we started on today’s Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth podcast, fueled by our founding sponsor 76, keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat.

Not the buzzword version. The real kind.

The kind that shows up when you’re five years old asking questions during the entire drive from New Jersey to Florida. The kind that never really turns off.

That curiosity didn’t just make him a better coach.

It made him a collector — of ideas, experiences and people.

And when you sit with him now, you realize his program isn’t built off one philosophy. It’s built on years of filtering what fits, what lasts and what actually connects with players.

Personally, this conversation was a fun one for me.

Coach Fisch and I first crossed paths in 2009 when we were both interviewing with the Seattle Seahawks. He got the job. I transitioned into media. But we stayed connected, and over the years we’ve had countless conversations around football, leadership and quarterback play.

Which is why this episode felt different, as I only asked questions I didn’t know the answers to.

And honestly, those are usually the best conversations.

Topics Covered

* Demond Williams and why scars are unavoidable for quarterbacks

* His relationship with QB1

* A deep dive into Jedd Fisch’s mind as a play-caller

* His kitchen table as a child — something we ask every Elite 11 quarterback

* Why Year 3 feels different in Seattle

* What discipline looks like with this Washington roster

* The potential of the 2026 Huskies

* Why joy isn’t a tactic — it’s a byproduct of trust

Hope you enjoy this week’s Y-Option conversation.

And if you’re just joining us, thank you. Take a look back at some of our recent episodes and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we pride ourselves on bringing thoughtful and insightful conversations around college football every week.

Appreciate you being here and following along this spring.

More coming soon.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I’ve known Dan Lanning for 15 years.

We’ve had a lot of conversations over that time. So going into this one, I didn’t want to hit the same notes, didn’t want to discuss the topics we’ve covered before and hoped to stick to my lone rule during interviews: "ask questions I don’t know the answers to.”

That wasn’t easy, but it was a blast to prepare for and it started with something I was almost embarrassed I hadn’t asked:

“Why do you coach?”

And honestly, everything flowed from there.

If you’ve read this newsletter you know how much I respect Dan Lanning’s DNA Traits: Connection, Growth, Toughness and Sacrifice. But not just because they offer clarity to anyone walking into their facility but because they offer a standard for those who join his program.

Standards are easy to create but after completing my spring tour across the country, it is clear that they are not as easy to uphold.

After talking with Coach Lanning on the latest Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth podcast, fueled by our founding sponsor 76—keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat, my mind was racing in route to my favorite cafe on the West Coast, Meraki, and onto my laptop while boarding a flight up north to Seattle to see UW.

Many people think that the Ducks win and retain players because they have resources, and yes they do. But they also have a group of returning players who love to learn from and follow their head coach. They know if they are willing to, as he says, “take the medicine” they will find tremendous growth.

From journaling post game to training this off-season, the entire 360 degree process in Eugene is a blueprint for success.

And now, the Oregon football process is player-owned and that is a reason why I think the Ducks can take the next step this fall and win the whole thing.

My Key Takeaways

* Coaching at its highest level is when you impact someone in a profound way.

* Standards matter more when players own them.

* Accountability has to be modeled, not just demanded.

* Growth comes from self-awareness and reflection.

* Obsession with improvement > obsession with praise. (personal favorite)

* Relationships still drive everything inside the Ducks program.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for the support along the way this spring. Am excited to share with you feature conversation’s over the next month with head coaches and elite players across the nation. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter here at Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth and our YouTube page.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.