Texas A&M brand recognition key to Fisher's national recruiting strategy

Jimbo Fisher has never shied away from his plans to make Texas A&M’s football program a national power.

But first he needs to make Texas A&M a national brand.

That seemed to be his message on Monday in a press conference prior to Brazos County A&M Club Coaches' Night. The fast-talking new football coach suggested that to be known as a national power a program first must be known nationally.

“You’ve got to have a national brand,” Fisher said. “In today’s world there are going to be guys outside this state that you’d love to have on your team. It has nothing to do with guys here (in Texas). There are tremendous players here. We’re going to get every one we can.

"But when you go out and you can brand your name like we want to do with A&M — with all the support systems they have here from facilities to academics to the Aggie ring, the network to everything that goes on — you ought to be able to brand yourself nationally. That’s what we want to do.”

Fisher seems to be welding a red-hot branding iron.

His list of commitments for the 2019 recruiting class is currently ranked second in the nation by national recruiting services. That’s behind only Alabama, college football’s ultimate national brand.

That list of 16 commitments includes four from out of state.

A&M has recruited from out of state before. But aside from Louisiana, most out-of-state recruits — like Christian Kirk, Kyle Allen or Jeremy Tabuyo— were from the western United States.

Fisher’s four of out-of-state commitments for 2019 are from the east. Two are from Florida. Another is from Georgia. Another is from Pennsylvania. That comes after signing two prospects from Alabama and two from Florida in the 2018 class.

“Once they get here they start to grasp (the A&M brand) and they understand it,” Fisher said. “I think it’s very eye-opening, especially from the east. In the past a lot of (players) have come from the west, but not from the east. That’s some doors and avenues that I think we’re opening now.”

Fisher, himself, is a big reason those doors to the east are opening.

Of course, he won a national championship and consistently posted 10-win seasons as coach at Florida State. However, Fisher said the lure to coax players across several state lines to College Station goes way beyond his name or A&M’s spectacular facilities.

Brandon Jones, TexAgs

Fisher bought into the Texas A&M brand and traveled across the country to be a part of it. Now he wants recruits to do the same.

“That’s the eye candy that gets them here,” Fisher said. “Then you start digging into the education, start digging into the Aggie network and all the things that goes with this and the people and the culture — everything about it. Most folks walk around here and go, ‘Wow. This is an amazing place.’ And it is.”

Perhaps Fisher has been able to so successfully sell A&M’s brand because he’s already bought it.

Six months ago, Fisher himself was a recruit. He’s selling prospects on the same qualities and amenities that convinced him to come to College Station. That’s minus the $75 million contract, of course.

“You have so much to sell from A to Z,” Fisher said. “That’s the thing about A&M. Some universities can sell athletics. Some can sell academics. Very few can combine them at the level that you’re doing it here at A&M.

“I’m asking you to make the same decision I just made. I wasn’t planning on coming here. Somebody called. I started researching. You dug into it. You saw the potential and what it could be. What can happen here and all the resources. It was a very similar decision. We’ve talked about that quite often.”