The Texas A&M Aggies had their first losing season in conference play since 2014 after experiencing their worst scoring output since 2001. With a new offensive coordinator and entering their second year under a new defensive system, the Maroon and White will look to get things back on track in the SEC.
Texas A&M Aggies Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher completed his first half-decade as the head coach of the Aggies in 2022, experiencing his second losing season in his 13-year head coaching career. The former Florida State coach was thrust into the spotlight when he and the Seminoles won the BCS Championship in 2013.
After spending nearly two decades as an assistant coach with a mixture of Samford, Auburn, Cincinnati, LSU, and Florida State, the former NCAA Division III National Player of the Year got his first head coaching role in Tallahassee, Fla., in 2010. The Seminoles won 31 games in his first three seasons, going undefeated in bowl games. Florida State peaked in 2013 when the team went 14-0 with Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jameis Winston under center.
Over the next three seasons, Fisher won 33 games with the Seminoles, reaching the College Football Playoff in 2014. However, Florida State failed to win the ACC in 2015 or 2016, snapping their three-year run at the top of the conference. Despite never winning fewer than nine games in his first seven seasons, the Seminoles dropped to 5-6 in 2017, failing to reach postseason eligibility.
Fisher signed with A&M in 2017 following his first losing season, agreeing to a 10-year deal with the Aggies. The beginning of his tenure was promising. The maroon and white went 17-9 with a 2-0 bowl record in his first two seasons.
During the pandemic-abbreviated season in 2020, A&M went 9-1 in an SEC-only schedule, prompting the program to extend Fisher through 2031. Despite the promising start to his stint in College Station, Texas, Fisher and the Aggies have gone 13-11 overall and 6-10 in SEC play since the extension.
The Aggies’ 5-7 finish came as a disappointment compared to their preseason expectations, spearheaded by a preseason AP ranking of No. 6 and a 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 all time, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Despite some flashes from these young athletes, the 2022 season was derailed by injuries, suspensions, and underperformance.
As a result of the unmet expectations in 2022, fans called for Fisher’s job to be on the hot seat, though his contract makes that unlikely. This sets up an important 2023 season for Fisher and his staff to redirect the Aggies’ course in the SEC before two old rivals expand the conference in 2024.
UPDATE: As of November 12, 2023, Texas A&M has reportedly fired Jimbo Fisher as their head coach. Fisher will be paid in full and the Aggies are set to honor his $76 million buyout
Defensive Coordinator, DJ Durkin
A former defensive player himself at Bowling Green, DJ Durkin enters his second year as the defensive coordinator for the Aggies, taking over for Mike Elko, who left for a head coaching position with Duke.
Durkin is a former head coach who spent two seasons at the helm of the Maryland Terrapins program, leading the team to a 10-15 record. Maryland and Durkin parted ways following a 2018 scandal in which Maryland football player Jordan McNair was hospitalized and died after showing signs of heatstroke and exhaustion during a team workout in May.
Durkin spent some time with the Atlanta Falcons and Ole Miss Rebels before joining Fisher’s staff in 2022 as the team’s defensive coordinator. In his first season calling the shots, the Aggies gave up just 21.2 points per game, the 25th best in the nation.
Despite this, the defense was not consistent across both phases. A&M boasted the best passing defense in the country, holding teams to 156.2 yards per game, but also sported a bottom-10 rushing defense, allowing 208.8 yards per game. Durkin will take over responsibilities as the linebackers coach as well in 2023 with the departure of Tyler Santucci — the team’s co-defensive coordinator in 2022.
The Aggies have had a reputation for defensive play under Fisher. A second year under Durkin with more consolidated control could clean up some of the issues from 2022.
- Bowling Green (graduate assistant, 2001-2002)
- Notre Dame (graduate assistant, 2003-2004)
- Bowling Green (DE coach, 2005; LB coach and ST, 2006)
- Stanford (DE coach and ST, 2007-2009)
- Florida (LB coach and ST, 2010-2012; LB coach and DC, 2013-2014; interim HC, 2014)
- Michigan (LB coach and DC, 2015)
- Maryland (2016-2018)
- Atlanta Falcons (consultant, 2019)
- Ole Miss (LB coach and co-DC, 2020-2021)
- Texas A&M (DC, 2022; LB coach and DC, 2023)
Offensive Coordinator, Bobby Petrino
The Aggies parted ways with Darrell Dickey following the 2022 season, their offensive coordinator since 2018. Under Dickey last season, A&M totaled 273 points, their lowest mark since the 2001 season. In Dickey’s place, Fisher brought in an old dueling partner in Bobby Petrino.
Petrino’s offensive glory days came with Louisville when he was the head coach of Heisman Trophy-winning QB Lamar Jackson. Amid Jackson’s Heisman campaign in 2016, the Cardinals beat Fisher’s No. 2 Seminoles 63-20. However, Petrino was fired by Louisville in 2018 after the team went 2-8 in its first season without Jackson.
MORE: Candidates to Replace Jimbo Fisher
Petrino was hired by the FCS program Missouri State in January 2020, where he went 13-7 in his first two seasons, leading the Bears to their first playoff appearances since 1990. However, Petrino went 5-6 in 2022 before leaving to join A&M.
The Bears averaged nearly 28 points per game under Petrino, giving promise for new life in a deflated A&M offense. As a former quarterback himself at Carroll College and with a long, winding history of being a quarterback coach at the collegiate level, Petrino could also help usher in the era of sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, a former five-star recruit who flashed in 2022.
- Carroll (graduate assistant, 1983)
- Weber State (graduate assistant, 1984)
- Carroll (OC, 1985-1986)
- Weber State (WR and TE coach, 1987-1988)
- Idaho (QB coach, 1989; OC, 1990-1991)
- Arizona State (QB coach, 1992-1993)
- Nevada (QB coach and OC, 1994)
- Utah State (OC, 1995-1997)
- Louisville (QB coach and OC, 1998)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (QB coach, 1999-2000; OC, 2001)
- Auburn (OC, 2002)
- Louisville (2003-2006)
- Atlanta Falcons (2007)
- Arkansas (2008-2011)
- Western Kentucky (2013)
- Louisville (2014-2018)
- Missouri State (2020-2022)
- Texas A&M (OC, 2023)
Assistant Head Coach, Running Game Coordinator, Defensive Line Coach, Elijah Robinson
A former defensive tackle at Penn State whose career was cut short due to a neck injury, Elijah Robinson has put together an impressive career before reaching the age of 40. Robinson transitioned from a player to a coach with the Nittany Lions and worked under Matt Rhule before joining the Aggies.
Robinson wears multiple hats at A&M but has a history of coaching up successful defensive linemen, including Haason Reddick, Matt Ioannidis, and DeMarvin Leal. He was also rated as the top recruiter in the nation in 2022, according to 247Sports’ rankings.
Co-offensive Coordinator, Tight End Coach, James Coley
When James Coley was hired, he was regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation, particularly in the state of Florida. Coley has a history of working with strong offenses and receiving crews, including at Miami, Georgia, and Florida State under Fisher.
After serving as the Aggies’ wide receiver coach in 2022, he will transition back to coaching tight ends in 2023.
Offensive Line Coach, Steve Addazio
Before spending a decade as a head coach across Temple, Boston College, and Colorado State, Steve Addazio was most closely connected with the successes of two championship teams at Florida under Urban Meyer. Addazio has instilled successful running games across his stops and enters his second season with a run-oriented program at A&M.
Running Back Coach, Marquel Blackwell
The nation’s most statistically dominant freshman running back in 2022, Quinshon Judkins, emerged under Marquel Blackwell, who spent last season as the running back coach at Ole Miss. Blackwell, a former quarterback at USF, has had a successful career coaching backfields, dating back to 2016 when he worked with Kareem Hunt at Toledo.
A&M has produced recent running back talent like Isaiah Spiller, De’Von Achane, and Trayveon Williams, setting up expectations for Blackwell’s first year in College Station.
Wide Receiver Coach, Dameyune Craig
Dameyune Craig was a record-setting quarterback at Auburn before playing in the NFL, NFL Europe, and the Arena Football League. Craig worked alongside Fisher at Florida State, where he helped coach up quarterback talents like Winston, EJ Manuel, and Christian Ponder. Craig joined the Aggies in 2018 and has worked with Kellen Mond and now Weigman.
Secondary Coach, Bryant Gross-Armiento
After working at A&M as a defensive analyst from 2021 to 2022, Bryant Gross-Armiento got a promotion to secondary coach in 2023. A former defensive back with Rutgers and Wake Forest, Gross-Armiento will get his first gig as a positional coach, working with a group of highly recruited athletes.
Defensive Back Coach, TJ Rushing
A former professional football player, TJ Rushing was a part of a pair of Super Bowl runs, winning one with the Indianapolis Colts. After retiring, Rushing has been a defensive backs coach for multiple programs, including Memphis and Arizona State. Rushing joined the Aggies’ staff in 2020.