The news broke early Sunday morning following Texas A&M’s Week 11 victory that they had decided to part ways with head coach Jimbo Fisher. With the news at hand and as all parties process the decisions, one specific question begs to be asked: Will Jimbo Fisher coach again?
If he does, there are certainly more than a few landing spots that make sense.
Jimbo Fisher Landing Spots
It’s first worth noting that Fisher’s contract with A&M included a $76 million buyout. This buyout was not offset and Fisher will continue earning roughly $9.5 million a year until 2031 from A&M, even if he were to take a job.
For those reasons, you have to think that if he’s interested in returning to the sidelines, he’d take a job that could put him in a position to win national championships each year.
MORE: College Football Coaching Carousel
As such, we return to familiar ground for Fisher with our landing spots.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Frankly, this one makes all too much sense. He’d rejoin his mentor Nick Saban and could focus solely on the offense as the offensive coordinator. Tommy Rees isn’t likely to stick around as a head coaching gig is in his near future, and the opening with Saban would return Fisher to his roots and back to what he does best.
Who knows, there could even be a fancy ‘head-coach-in-waiting’ title applied to him here as he’d be tailormade to take over for Saban when the legendary coach hangs it up. It’s unlikely now, but just wait.
LSU Tigers
Another familiar area, Fisher could join Brian Kelly’s staff at LSU with little to no hiccups. Likely given an analyst role to start, this is another tailormade fit and would behoove the Tigers to get as much insight into Saban’s coaching tree as they can to compete in the SEC West regularly.
Mike Denbrook could be in line for a head coaching gig as well, leaving that offensive coordinator job open in Baton Rouge. Again, it’s unlikely right now, but just wait.
Auburn Tigers
We’re sticking with familiarity here as the Auburn Tigers need a spark on offense under Hugh Freeze and despite their differences, Fisher would give Freeze and Auburn a direct line to Saban’s tree. Fisher cut his Power Five teeth as the QB coach at Auburn and had great success with the Tigers.
Phillip Montgomery has come over as the current OC, but Fisher is a large upgrade to Montgomery’s current trajectory on offense.
West Virginia Mountaineers
It’s been a while since Fisher resided in the friendly confines of his home state, but if any place beckons to return home, it’s West Virginia. Fisher could sing ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads,’ in a year or two if the Neal Brown era continues to head toward its culmination.
A head coaching gig back in his home state, Fisher could steer clear of his nemesis: the SEC.
Samford Bulldogs
We’re going a bit off the rails here, but Samford could absolutely be calling their former grad assistant and quarterback. A 1989 graduate of Samford University, it could be said that the Bulldogs could be looking for a new coach because Chris Hatcher takes an FBS gig after leading Samford to historic success over the past 10 seasons.
Hatcher, who has been a head coach since 2000, could very well be in line for a return to the FBS, and Fisher’s alma mater would absolutely be on the phone.
Given the nature of Fisher’s contract and payment status, returning to a passion project like his alma mater would absolutely be in the cards.
Other Landing Spots for Fisher
- USC, Analyst
- Cincinnati, Analyst
- Miami (FL), Analyst
- In-Studio Analyst