Jimbo Fisher is on his way out of Texas A&M, a quick fall from the hype he brought to College Station. As if shelling out a big chunk of cash to send him packing, Texas A&M must find someone else to take his place. So what went wrong? It actually starts before Fisher arrived on campus.
What Happened to Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M?
I almost hate to say it, but Fisher was in trouble even before he came to Texas A&M. His final stretch with Florida State didn’t exactly end well, and there were feelings that his offense was outdated.
A pro-style approach worked when Fisher’s strong recruiting classes could dominate, but that wasn’t happening as much towards the end of his time in Tallahassee. So when the Aggies struggled to put up points in big games, fans reminded themselves that patience was needed.
Bringing in talent wasn’t ever a problem for the Aggies, especially not during the 2022 cycle, in which they signed the top class in the country and the best in Aggies history. Everything was there, but the offense just didn’t click.
In a world where everyone’s constantly spreading the field and playing at a blistering pace, Fisher got stuck in his old-school ways. Those ways quickly became outdated, and Fisher found himself desperate to make a change. It turned out to be too little and too late.
MORE: Jimbo Fisher Landing Spots
When your buyout is set at $75 million, you know that the school really wants you gone if they’re willing to eat that cost. Fisher’s program went 8-4 in 2021 before falling to 5-7 last year, so the pressure was on. After a 6-4 start, the Aggies decided enough was enough.
In his six years in College Station, Fisher went 45-25. He went 27-21 in SEC play, 17-18 against the SEC West, and 10-15 against ranked teams.
Drama in College Station
When the spotlight is on a coach, everything is amplified, and Fisher walked into a bright spotlight. He didn’t shy away from it, though.
His infamous comments about Nick Saban after signing the 2022 class went viral, which was the peak of his time in the spotlight.
Fisher also made some controversial hires when he brought both offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin onto the staff. The pressure to adapt got him to bring Petrino to campus, and losing Mike Elko to Duke left a huge hole in the defense.
Control was a big factor for Fisher, and it looked like he couldn’t quite give up the play-calling this year despite bringing Petrino in to update the offense to the new era of college football.
It also affected his players. Aggies receiver Moose Muhammad III said Fisher benched him for wearing arm sleeves back in 2022.
MORE: 5 Candidates to Replace Jimbo Fisher
There were plenty of factors that led to this point. Fisher refused to adapt to the times on offense until it was too late (and even then, he didn’t fully adapt). Durkin’s unit has been underwhelming all year despite having plenty of future NFL talent, and Petrino’s offenses haven’t been able to combat those struggles.
Fisher’s tenure at Florida State showed that there would be drama when you bring in top-tier talent. He takes chances, and winning typically cures everything.
As we know, when you’re not winning, everything’s amplified. Fisher couldn’t find the wins to justify his stay at College Station, and now the Aggies are in the market once again for a head coach.