Firing This Coach Would Cost An SEC Program A Staggering Amount Of Money
Texas A&M hired head coach Jimbo Fisher in 2018 in hopes he could take the program in the next direction. Instead, the former national champion coach at Florida State has kept the Aggies in a state of mediocrity. Firing him would give the school a chance at another fresh start but would cost them a staggering amount of money.
Let’s take a closer look at Jimbo Fisher’s career and why he was worth all the money. Would firing him benefit Texas A&M?
Coach Jimbo Fisher’s Resume
Jimbo Fisher was a quarterback before he was a coach. Between 1985 and 1986, he played for Salem University before transferring to Samford University. Fisher was a Division III player of the year in 1987 and set multiple school records.
Fisher remained at Samford as a graduate assistant following his playing career. Then, he became the quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. Fisher jumped to the SEC in 1993 to become Auburn’s quarterbacks coach, where he remained for five years.
In 1999, Cincinnati hired Jimbo Fisher to be their offensive coordinator before Nick Saban hired him in 2000 at LSU. During his time as an offensive coordinator under Saban, LSU became one of the better teams in the county. The National Championship win in 2003 was the second in program history. In addition, Fisher helped develop successful quarterbacks such as Matt Mauck and Jamarcus Russell.
Coach Fisher left LSU for Florida State in 2007, where he was also an offensive coordinator. Later in 2007, he was named the next head coach to replacess sqsqsssqssqqsss sBobby Bowden in 2010. The Seminoles gradually got better after Fisher’s arrival. 2013 is when everything came together for the program. Florida State went 14-0 and was selected to the BCS National Championship game, where they beat Auburn 34-31.
Fisher led the Seminoles to another first-place finish in the ACC in 2014, but the program declined shortly after. By 2017, Florida State went 5-6 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time in the Fisher era. Overall, Jimbo Fisher coached Florida State to an 83-23 record, one national championship, and three ACC championships.
Coach Fisher At Texas A&M
Jimbo Fisher accepted the head coaching job at Texas A&M in December 2017. He replaced Kevin Sumlin, who went 51-26 as a head coach, including a 25-23 record against the SEC. Fisher was under high expectations to make A&M an SEC powerhouse.
Fisher’s first year at Texas A&M in 2018 was good; the Aggies finished 9-4 and ended the year with a Gator Bowl win. The program went 8-5 in 2019 before going 9-1 in the COVID-19-shortened season. This included eight wins against SEC teams, and they finished the year as the fourth-ranked team in the country, according to the AP Poll.
Jimbo Fisher’s Contract Extension
Jimbo Fisher was granted a contract extension before the 2021 season. His new contract pays him $9 million annually through 2031 and features a buyout clause. This means the school would owe him the remainder of his contract if he were fired without cause. This is the largest buyout clause in college football history, and Fisher is the eighth highest-paid college football coach in the country as of 2022.
Since the contract extension, Fisher’s teams have been very disappointing. Texas A&M went 8-4 in 2021 but just 4-4 against SEC teams. The program did have a signature win over number-one-ranked Alabama, but finishing 25th in the final AP poll did not meet expectations.
Texas A&M brought in one of the best-recruiting classes in 2022. This caused quite a stir during the offseason when Saban and Fisher fired shots at one another on their recruiting methods. A&M started the year ranked sixth in the AP poll before quickly falling back after a Week Two home loss to Appalachian State.
After a 3-1 start to the 2022 season, the Aggies dropped four straight games, all to SEC opponents. The games against Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss were close, but Fisher is not getting it done as the head coach. If he can’t get his team back on track against Florida and Auburn coming up, the Jimbo Fisher era in College Station is likely over.
Jimbo Fisher currently has a 37–19 head coaching record at Texas A&M with a 22-16 record against the SEC. His head coaching record is right in line with the coach he replaced, Kevin Sumlin. This is not what Texas A&M envisioned when they brought Fisher in.
Coach Fisher’s Buyout
Texas A&M would have to gather up some money if they want to fire Jimbo Fisher due to the buyout clause in his contract. Fisher would earn this if his school were to let him go at the end of each season.
2022: $85,950,000
2023: $76,800,000
2024: $67,550,000
2025: $58,200,000
2026: $48,750,000
2027: $39,200,000
2028: $29,550,000
2029: $19,800,000
2030: $9,950,000
In Conclusion
Jimbo Fisher is one of the biggest disappointments in college football. His coaching tenure with A&M has yet to live up to the high expectations, which means change could be coming. Texas A&M is one of the more valuable college football programs, so don’t be surprised if they are ready to let him loose by the year’s end. A new coach would offer the program a chance to get the best out of their highly touted recruits and give the fans what they deserve.
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