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Texas A&M Football

Texas A&M dismisses Jimbo Fisher as head football coach of the Aggies

November 12, 2023
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Jimbo Fisher has been let go as the head football coach at Texas A&M University.

TexAgs co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci first reported the news on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

His ouster puts an end to Fisher’s controversial and disappointing six-year tenure in College Station.

The decision to terminate Fisher was made at a Board of Regents meeting. Texas A&M University will owe Fisher approximately $76 million for the remaining eight years of his guaranteed contract.

Liucci’s report comes after A&M (6-4, 4-3 in the SEC) defeated Mississippi State at Kyle Field on Saturday night, 51-10.

Fisher leaves Texas A&M with a 45-25 overall record and a 27-21 record in Southeastern Conference play.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported that assistant head coach Elijah Robinson is expected to assume the role of interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Fisher left Florida State in 2017 to accept a fully guaranteed 10-year, $75 million contract at A&M. He received a raise and contract extension to 10 years and $95 million in September of 2021.

Fisher left Florida State in 2017 to accept a fully guaranteed 10-year, $75 million contract at A&M. He received a raise and contract extension to 10 years and $95 million in September of 2021.

The raise and contract extension came after a successful 2020 campaign in which the Aggies finished 9-1, won the Orange Bowl and were ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll. That was A&M’s highest final ranking since winning the national championship in 1939.

Fisher was also approached by LSU’s Athletics Director Scott Woodward, who was looking to replace ousted coach Ed Orgeron.

Woodward had previously been the Director of Athletics at Texas A&M and led the effort to hire Fisher away from Florida State.

At A&M, Woodward was seeking a replacement for coach Kevin Sumlin, who was fired after a 7-5 finish in 2017.

Fisher was his top choice. Fisher had replaced legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden in 2010 and led the Seminoles to the national championship in 2013. His teams were 83-23 in eight seasons in Tallahassee.

Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012, A&M has made the commitment to compete and win at the highest levels of college football. The Aggies made no secret their goal was to win another national title. During a 2018 event in Commerce, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System John Sharp gave Fisher a dateless national championship plaque. The date was to be filled in when Fisher led the Aggies to a national title.

The Fisher regime started off strong. The Aggies were 9-4 and won the Gator Bowl in his first season.

They finished 8-5 with a Texas Bowl victory over Oklahoma State in his second season.

After narrowly defeating Vanderbilt and losing to Alabama to start the 2020 season, the Aggies upset No. 4 Florida, 41-38. That kicked off an eight-game winning streak to close out the pandemic-shortened campaign.

A&M hoped to get into the four-team playoff and have a chance for a rematch against Alabama for a national championship. Instead, the College Football Playoff Committee ranked A&M fifth.

As a consolation prize, the Aggies went to the Orange Bowl, where they defeated North Carolina, 41-27.

There were great hopes the momentum would continue in 2021. The Aggies were ranked No. 6 in both the preseason AP and coaches polls.

However, starting quarterback Haynes King suffered a season-ending broken leg in a 10-7 victory over Colorado in the second game of the season.

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Fisher famously said, “We ain’t done yet!” following the Maroon & White’s victory over North Carolina in the 2021 Capital One Orange Bowl.

Backup quarterback Zach Calzada struggled in subsequent losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State but played brilliantly in a 41-38 upset of No. 1 Alabama. Also, Fisher became the first of Nick Saban’s former assistant coaches to beat him.

The Aggies surged to three more consecutive SEC victories and had a chance to finish first in the SEC West, but they lost to Ole Miss and LSU and finished 8-4. The Maroon & White opted out of an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl due to COVID-19 complications.

However, the disappointing 2021 season was overshadowed by the excitement of the 2022 recruiting class.

A&M’s class, which featured eight five-star prospects, was ranked No. 1 in the nation. It was even considered the best in college football history.

The class drew so much attention that Saban said that A&M, “bought its entire recruiting class.” He said that while asking a group of Crimson Tide supporters for increased donations, presumably so Alabama could buy players.

Fisher responded angrily to Saban’s comments. The next day he called a press conference in which he called Saban a narcissist and implied that Saban had often violated NCAA recruiting rules.

That strained relationship between the coaches appeared to have been smoothed over by the time the 2022 season began.

Again, the Aggies opened the season ranked No. 6, but what followed was perhaps the most disappointing season in A&M history.

In the second game, A&M suffered a stunning 17-14 loss to Appalachian State, who would eventually lose to Texas State.

A&M might have salvaged a disappointing year with a second-straight victory over Alabama. At the Alabama 2-yard line with three seconds remaining, Fisher called for King to throw a low-percentage pass to freshman receiver Evan Stewart at the front pylon.

The pass never had a chance to be completed, and A&M lost 24-20.

It was one of five games the Aggies lost by six points or less.

A&M finished 5-7, its first losing season since 2008, and was not eligible for a bowl game.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs
Despite bringing in veteran offensive mind Bobby Petrino to run A&M’s offense, the Aggies have continued to struggle in 2023.

That brought the frustration to peak levels as more and more of the A&M fan base voiced dissatisfaction with Fisher. Most of the frustration was based on Fisher’s offense, which was ranked just 101st in the nation in scoring and 93rd in total yardage.

Detractors complained his offense was too complicated, too old and too ineffective. Fisher was criticized for often using all his timeouts too soon, taking too long to call plays and clock mismanagement.

Seemingly acknowledging the validity of that criticism, he hired former Arkansas and Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to call plays.

But at last summer’s SEC Media Days, Fisher drew criticism when he appeared hesitant to confirm that Petrino would indeed call the plays.

Whether Petrino has or has not called plays could be up for debate. What cannot be debated is Fisher’s team largely failed again in 2023.

The Aggies appeared unprepared and uninspired in a 48-33 loss at Miami on Sept. 9.

They responded with wins over Louisiana Monroe, Auburn and Arkansas to set up a big matchup with No. 11 Alabama.

The Aggies led 17-10 at halftime, but the offense sputtered in the second half. A&M fell 26-20.

Offensive issues again were a problem the ensuing week as A&M lost 20-13 at No. 19 Tennessee.

The Aggies then came off an open week to defeat South Carolina, but last week, lost to No. 10 Ole Miss, 38-35.

That loss was apparently the last straw.

Discussion from...

Texas A&M dismisses Jimbo Fisher as head football coach of the Aggies

65,208 Views | 32 Replies | Last: 10 mo ago by Iraq2xVeteran
LatinAggie1997
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AG
Time to rally the team and finish strong.
Logos Stick
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Good to hear!
soleta27
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This eulogy looks like it could have been and probably was written a few years ago. Olin just had to press SEND
TheGreatEscape
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Yeah. Fisher didn't exemplify composure for his quarterbacks. He always threw a fit when they didn't see something. I didn't like that.
Royal27
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AG
Better late than never!
MaroonStain
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AG
Stupid fing plaque
App State
Carousel of injured QBs
Bad coaching in 2nd half
No discipline in locker room
Oh...$9MM per season
AggieDaddy116
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We, as a society, have lost our ever loving minds. Who, in their right mind, pays people this much money to NOT work for them?! We're talking nearly $100 MILLION DOLLARS by the time it is all said and done. If its 'only' a few million or so, well OK. But $100MM; Holy sh!!! It just make no sense at all. Where are our priorities?!

It is all well and good to be an ardent, passionate supporter of a recreational activity like college football. We are just a very wasteful society in many ways, and this is one of them. The priorities are all wrong my friends. A lot of good can be done with $100MM, but no, let's give it away to someone we don't want and spend even more money on someone who might be no better or maybe worse. You say it can't happen? You've seen the comparisons with Sumlin.

I don't like not winning when it seems we should be, but we are so very close. If Weigman didn't get hurt, we'd be undefeated or at least right in the middle of the playoff picture. The cost - benefit of this decision just doesn't stand up to logic.

I know what will fix this; let's pay the next guy $20MM/yr guaranteed for 10 years. That'll take care of it.

Aggiecorps1972
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Agree with the comment that this is insane. Loved watching the Aggies beat Miss St. But by my estimation this salary could have provided full ride, four year (plus a few 4.5 year) scholarships for students.

For goodness sake, it's football. Rather give my money to the Corps of Cadets Assoc where it could have a direct impact on a student and subsequently, our country.

And don't get me started on the Gameday Suites…the Board of Regents wake-up or should I say grow-up.

But I bet they're already in the process of repeating this all over again. I can hear it now:…"let's hire Sam Pittman, hear he's coming available. Could get him for a cool $100 mil."
hullabaloo02
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Why now though? Why not last week after Ole Miss? What does holding out two more weeks change? We're bowll eligible, and depending on which defense showed up Thanksgiving weekend had a good change against LSU to finish with 8 wins.

Someone please explain.....
4
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hullabaloo02 said:

Why now though? Why not last week after Ole Miss? What does holding out two more weeks change? We're bowll eligible, and depending on which defense showed up Thanksgiving weekend had a good change against LSU to finish with 8 wins.

Someone please explain.....

Because the BOR didn't meet until last Thursday, after the Ole Miss game, which was certainly the reason for the meeting.
4
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We pay people to not work for us all the time.

If a company has an underperforming employee, or executive, they fire him and generally pay him a severance.

Jimbo's severance is simply a lot bigger than most employees. Of course, most employees aren't responsible for generating as much revenue as he was, either. Hence the difference in his contract numbers and every number associated with his employment.
Ag in Tiger Country
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AggieDaddy116 said:

We, as a society, have lost our ever loving minds. Who, in their right mind, pays people this much money to NOT work for them?! We're talking nearly $100 MILLION DOLLARS by the time it is all said and done. If its 'only' a few million or so, well OK. But $100MM; Holy sh!!! It just make no sense at all. Where are our priorities?!

It is all well and good to be an ardent, passionate supporter of a recreational activity like college football. We are just a very wasteful society in many ways, and this is one of them. The priorities are all wrong my friends. A lot of good can be done with $100MM, but no, let's give it away to someone we don't want and spend even more money on someone who might be no better or maybe worse. You say it can't happen? You've seen the comparisons with Sumlin.

I don't like not winning when it seems we should be, but we are so very close. If Weigman didn't get hurt, we'd be undefeated or at least right in the middle of the playoff picture. The cost - benefit of this decision just doesn't stand up to logic.

I know what will fix this; let's pay the next guy $20MM/yr guaranteed for 10 years. That'll take care of it.




But with today's rampant inflation, it's quite a good deal.
Upperdeck Critic
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A little late ! He should have been gone after 2021 when he failed to win at least the SEC division championship. It took him 4 years to win the national championship at FSU. He couldn't manage a division championship in 4 years at A&M, I don't think it is ever good to fire a coach with 2 games left. Finish the season and then let him go.

The 4 year time line is the Sherrill Standard. Of course he won a conference championship in year 4 and won the Cotton Bowl with the Wrecking Crew and the 12th Man Kickoff team. Gig'em Aggies !

Guess the conservative leaders of the BOR have money to throw around since they weren't able to hire an outstanding person for the Journalism school either and paid her $$$ for shortchanging her on negotiations.

At least A&M has Buzz !
Ag_EE_88
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AG
Would be funny if they fired him for lying all week about Max being available and violating the Aggie code of honor….maybe he'd get nothing….
Aggie1188
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AggieDaddy116 said:

We, as a society, have lost our ever loving minds. Who, in their right mind, pays people this much money to NOT work for them?! We're talking nearly $100 MILLION DOLLARS by the time it is all said and done. If its 'only' a few million or so, well OK. But $100MM; Holy sh!!! It just make no sense at all. Where are our priorities?!

It is all well and good to be an ardent, passionate supporter of a recreational activity like college football. We are just a very wasteful society in many ways, and this is one of them. The priorities are all wrong my friends. A lot of good can be done with $100MM, but no, let's give it away to someone we don't want and spend even more money on someone who might be no better or maybe worse. You say it can't happen? You've seen the comparisons with Sumlin.

I don't like not winning when it seems we should be, but we are so very close. If Weigman didn't get hurt, we'd be undefeated or at least right in the middle of the playoff picture. The cost - benefit of this decision just doesn't stand up to logic.

I know what will fix this; let's pay the next guy $20MM/yr guaranteed for 10 years. That'll take care of it.


LOL. We had QB1 Weigman for the Miami game, and we lost by double digits and Miami sucks. And fyi, Ole Miss & Tennessee suck too.

Jimbo can't manage a roster, can't use the portal to get starters, and the 2025 recruiting class was about to be an absolute clown car.
Aggie1188
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hullabaloo02 said:

Why now though? Why not last week after Ole Miss? What does holding out two more weeks change? We're bowll eligible, and depending on which defense showed up Thanksgiving weekend had a good change against LSU to finish with 8 wins.

Someone please explain.....
chance for 8 wins. That explains it, rookie.
AggieDaddy116
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The revenue you speak of goes to salaries for some employees and to fund college scholarships for the "student athletes". College athletics is not a business in the true sense of the word, but is really a purely optional expenditure, so a comparison to what goes on in a true business is not relevant. No where else in the world do "places of higher learning" subsidize athletics as we do here in the US. I like the whole thing around college athletics, except the rampant spending and irrational exuberance around the need to be number 1 and wasting exorbitant sums of money that goes on, especially to get rid of one guy to hurry up and hire the next guy we're going to fire. It's just crazy.
Cromagnum
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Fire the decision makers for the contract extension next. Nothing changes until we clean up the mess at the top.
Gilligan
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It's the body of work over time that did him in. He was hired because he had a natty and an 83% winning percentage.

He came to A&M and dropped 20 percentage points over six years.

How many teams of his came out with fire in their belly? How many teams came off a bye week with an imaginative game plan to take advantage of his next opponents weaknesses? How many QBs has he squandered being too worried about messing up (not executing) and not just letting them play to their natural ability? Not firing his O-Line coach for stinking so bad. Micromanagement? Losing close games? A decent coach with the talent currently at A&M would not be 6-4 with two games left in the season.

Apathy is a killer and the Apathy meter is DEAD as far as Jimbo is concerned.

My main question is Why Now? Who is being targeted? Petrino without Jimbo holding him back?

Why NOW?

geoag58
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Cromagnum said:

Fire the decision makers for the contract extension next. Nothing changes until we clean up the mess at the top.


Sharp needs to go.
Fight against the dictatorship of the federal bureaucracy!
aggiese72
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"Aggiecorps72", please email me at cgiese6872@gmail.com. We may know each other.

Thanks,
C. Giese

***************************************************************************
RE: Head Coach Situation
The most embarrassing self-made Aggie joke...ever!
AgCat93
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Jimbo would never have won his natty without Crab Legs Winston.

He parlayed the natty into the A&M job.

He then parlayed the Orange Bowl win into an asinine contract.
TexAggie1999
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Does Jimbo keep the National Championship trophy?

Jimbo deserved to be fired. But this is embarrassing. Spending over $70 million on a buy out just looks bad. As much as Jimbo needed to go, I don't think we should have paid this buyout.
2004FIGHTINTXAG
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Six years was enough time for Jimbo to produce at least an SEC West title. Especially, given that last year and this year there was no dominant team. Instead, we get 5-7 in year five followed by more than likely a 7-5 in year six. Even a 10 win season over the last three seasons could have bought him more time.

The argument of him losing because he lost his starting QBs (King and Connor) is factually invalid. King lost to App State, Bama and South Carolina last year as a starter. Connor lost to Miami and was struggling against Auburn before getting injured.

Lastly, losing four QBs to injury in two years due to a poor O-line and scheme is just crazy.
spherical
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It was going to be a clown car based on what exactly?

Just FUD based on fan bore reaction to losses.

Now, having no HC to keep the current roster or work on recruits… yall may get your wish.
Drawkcab
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How does anyone think we'd be undefeated if Weigman didn't get hurt? Why wouldn't the swiss cheese o-line let him get hurt the same week Johnson was? Why not before then?

Who responsible for recruiting that line anyway?
Charlie 31
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Quote:

The decision to terminate Fisher was made at a Board of Regents meeting. Texas A&M University will owe Fisher approximately $76 million for the remaining eight years of his guaranteed contract.
From where is the money to pay our football coaches' salaries, including the $76 million payout on Fisher's guaranteed contract, coming?
**Are the coaches' salaries paid using State of Texas money appropriated by the Texas Legislature to The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M University, or both?
**Are the coaches' salaries paid using funds contributed to the 12th Man Foundation, Texas A&M Foundation, or other fund-raising arms of Texas A&M University?
**Are the coaches' salaries being paid by Big Money Ags?

I fear we have entered the phase of Texas A&M University's history where our alma mater has become Texas A&M, Incorporated, and Former Students are being asked to blindly contribute large sums of money through alumni organizations that Texas A&M leaders are not spending wisely to further the long-term success of Texas A&M University.
InfantryAg
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AggieDaddy116 said:

The revenue you speak of goes to salaries for some employees and to fund college scholarships for the "student athletes". College athletics is not a business in the true sense of the word, but is really a purely optional expenditure, so a comparison to what goes on in a true business is not relevant. No where else in the world do "places of higher learning" subsidize athletics as we do here in the US. I like the whole thing around college athletics, except the rampant spending and irrational exuberance around the need to be number 1 and wasting exorbitant sums of money that goes on, especially to get rid of one guy to hurry up and hire the next guy we're going to fire. It's just crazy.
the football program makes money for the school. Not only does it pay for itself, it pays for all the unpopular sports teams, track, swimming, soccer etc.

The money owed to jimbo is a sunk cost, it's gone.

The money to pay a new coach is the only addition and it will be paid for by the big money donors.
BDAVI2
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AggieDaddy116 said:

We, as a society, have lost our ever loving minds. Who, in their right mind, pays people this much money to NOT work for them?! We're talking nearly $100 MILLION DOLLARS by the time it is all said and done. If its 'only' a few million or so, well OK. But $100MM; Holy sh!!! It just make no sense at all. Where are our priorities?!

It is all well and good to be an ardent, passionate supporter of a recreational activity like college football. We are just a very wasteful society in many ways, and this is one of them. The priorities are all wrong my friends. A lot of good can be done with $100MM, but no, let's give it away to someone we don't want and spend even more money on someone who might be no better or maybe worse. You say it can't happen? You've seen the comparisons with Sumlin.

I don't like not winning when it seems we should be, but we are so very close. If Weigman didn't get hurt, we'd be undefeated or at least right in the middle of the playoff picture. The cost - benefit of this decision just doesn't stand up to logic.

I know what will fix this; let's pay the next guy $20MM/yr guaranteed for 10 years. That'll take care of it.

The quick and highly emotional decision to fire Fisher over a missed field goal and a miscommunication between the QB and the WR that led to an interception against Ole Miss. Really, the fans love and support their team win or lose. Please give me a reasonable explanation.
BDAVI2
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The quick and highly emotional decision to fire Fisher was basically over a missed field goal and a miscommunication between the QB and the WR. The fans love and support their team win or lose. This was another but a much bigger mistake that we will all have to pay for.
leere1957
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Agree on $76MM not being that much when someone leaves. The 40 year retirees from A&M probably get that much minus $75.5MM
Iraq2xVeteran
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I had expected the Texas A&M Board of Regents to wait until after our regular season finale at LSU to fire Jimbo Fisher, but they had made that decision on Thursday. After an Orange Bowl win that capped a 9-1 and No. 4 finish, the administration extended Jimbo Fisher's already lengthy 10-year contract by 4 years, making it much more costly to fire him. Without that very costly mistake, the buyout would have been about $30 million for the remaining 4 years instead of $77 million for 8 years. I hope the contract length for the next head coach is 6 years with no consideration for an extension until at least halfway through the contract.
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