The Texas A&M Aggies will face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, but Jimbo Fisher won’t be on the sidelines. What happened to the former Texas A&M head coach?
What Happened to Jimbo Fisher?
Texas A&M signed former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher to a huge 10-year, $75 million contract in 2017 after firing coach Kevin Sumlin. However, after less than six years, Fisher was fired for poor performance.
Fisher had some initial success with the Aggies, which led to a huge four-year extension in 2021 that ran through the 2031 season. The issue for the Aggies was that the contract included a massive buyout, guaranteeing Fisher the bulk of his more than $9 million annual salary for each year of the contract in the event of his firing.
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Things began to go downhill from there, and Fisher was on thin ice after a 5-7 season and last-place finish in the SEC West in 2022.
The Aggies started the year 6-4 in 2023 and beat Mississippi State 51-10 before the university pulled the trigger and fired Fisher. Fisher finished his Texas A&M coaching career with a 45-25 record.
As part of the initial contract agreement, Texas A&M will pay Fisher a buyout in excess of $75 million. This is the largest buyout in college football history, beating the second-most by more than $50 million.
In his stead, defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson has served as interim head coach. Since firing Fisher, the Aggies have gone 1-1, defeating Abilene Christian 38-10 and losing to LSU 42-30.
A win in the TaxAct Texas Bowl would give the Aggies its first 8-win season since 2021 and its first bowl win since beating North Carolina in the Orange Bowl in the 2020 season.
Sophomore Jaylen Henderson will make his fourth-consecutive start at quarterback for the Aggies after incumbent starter Max Johnson entered the transfer portal and committed to North Carolina.
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