By Scott Salomon
After the 38-35 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford on Saturday, many prognosticators were debating whether the Lane Train derailed the Jimbo Express and put the final nail in Fischer’s coffin.
A strong argument could be made that Fisher is not worth his contract and that the Aggies are paying him too much money to be average, and change is inevitable. On Saturday, he had a chance for a top-10 win on the road against a very good Rebels team, and the Aggies could have become bowl-eligible.
Instead, he is going back to the drawing board in College Station and searching for answers while boosters become agitated. When boosters get irate, they have a tendency to close their checkbooks.
While Fisher’s accomplishments in College Station could be scribbled on the back of a cocktail napkin, it does not make prudent financial sense to reward him with a buyout of his contract that could exceed $95 million. Essentially, he would be paid handsomely not to coach the team in the future.
That is just too big a bite to swallow.
It just does not make sense to give Fisher a Golden Parachute to leave College Station with no accomplishments to show for the money. Notwithstanding the foregoing, SEC Analyst Paul Finebaum believes it is time for Fisher to go. However, he is not the one writing the check.
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“I’ll say this again about Jimbo Fisher. That was his fourth loss. He still has to go to Baton Rouge,” said Finebaum. “I don’t know exactly what conversations are going on. But the feeling in Oxford, which is where I spent yesterday, was that the book on Jimbo Fisher is closing.”
Finebaum continued his tirade against keeping Fisher.
“There’s just nothing else to say,” Finebaum continued. “What else do you need to see, if you’re a Texas A&M administrator, from him that, next year, is going to be any different from this year?”
The problem with firing Fisher is two-fold. One, A&M would have to pay a king’s ransom to rid itself of a better-than-average coach who won a national championship at FSU with Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston and has done nothing since. Second, who is out there that would be better than Fisher and is not going to command the same amount of money, if not more?
“To make that change? They have to have an answer,” explained Finebaum. “I think what A&M people are trying to figure out here is, if we make this change, then who comes in? Otherwise, they have enough talent on that roster to maybe turn two or three games and have a good season.”
There really is no answer to that rhetorical question. Any coach who is capable of performing a resurrection at A&M is going to want a contract similar to the contract that Fisher was awarded in 2021. They are going to command at least $10 million a season.
Fisher guided the team to a 9-1 record in 2020 and was ranked fifth in the final College Football Playoff poll. The Aggies went to the Orange Bowl and defeated North Carolina. However, in the Fisher Era, the team never won an SEC Championship or made it to a playoff game.
6-12: Jimbo Fisher's record in last 18 games vs. Power 5 opponents
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 4, 2023
Fisher’s record at A&M is three games worse than that of former head coach Kevin Sumlin, who was Fisher’s predecessor in College Station. He made roughly half the money and was terminated for not living up to expectations.
Jimbo Fisher owes Jameis Winston 100mil https://t.co/W5yrlnD1JY
— 😶🌫️ (@CaliCardo) November 4, 2023
However, the price for a coaching change now could be insurmountable, even for A&M and its wealthy fanbase and boosters.
That would mean that the Aggies would be paying about $20 million a season for a new head coach. The oil tycoons in Texas could not be happy stomaching that type of nut to bring in a new coach and pay another one to sit on his couch and eat nachos on his coach on Saturdays.
Ole Miss hangs on to beat Texas A&M. The Aggies have now lost nine road games in a row, dating back over two years. Jimbo Fisher's seat keeps getting hotter as he's now lost 10 of his last 14 against Power 5 opponents: https://t.co/FqNnEoJygv https://t.co/FqNnEoJygv
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 4, 2023
If Texas A&M administrators were smart, they would give Fisher the resources that he needs to bring in better assistant coaches, ones that are not washed up like former Louisville coach and retread Bobby Petrino.
Petrino was brought in to call plays and serve as offensive coordinator. He never had an innovative offense anywhere he has been and has never won anything worth mentioning. Perhaps they need someone who is younger, more innovative, and someone who could inject some glitz and glamour into the offense at College Station.
Recruiting has never been Jimbo’s problem, as he always brings in a top-10 class. However, he has nothing to show for it. He wins on the recruiting trail but loses on the gridiron. That is not what Aggie fans want to see or hear.
However, regardless of who holds the purse strings or has the coffer full cash for a new coach, it just does not make fiscal sense to get rid of Jimbo Fisher, as they are not going to get anyone as good for less money.
The idea of paying someone NOT to work is not going to pass muster in College Station. Also, Fisher’s contract is fully guaranteed, and according to sources, it does not contain a setoff provision. That means that even if Fisher finds a new job next season, A&M would still owe the full amount of his salary.
It’s not even like Jimbo is going to get another job next season and absolve A&M from making gargantuan payments. Aggie boosters would be better off spending their cash on improving facilities and bringing in better assistants. Hiring a new coach is just not in the cards, and the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Finally, Fisher is not a bad coach and has a history of leaving programs in shambles, such as the one at Texas A&M. Florida State is just getting back to national prominence and went through two coaches before they got their mojo back. Willie Taggert could never find the magic at FSU after Fisher left, and Mike Norvell struggled mightily before righting the ship.
If there was any ounce of doubt before, it’s now official. The Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M is a bust. 5-4 in 2023. pic.twitter.com/tlw24BFfs0
— Dave Robicheaux 🛜 (@UncleRobicheaux) November 4, 2023
At the end of this season, FSU will be in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth and could be playing for a national title. Fisher, meanwhile, will be sitting back and collecting fat paychecks and waiting for next season to start after hopefully playing in a lower-tier bowl game.
That is not what Aggie administrators and boosters envisioned in 2021 when they gave him the keys to the kingdom and the contract that is strangling them right now.
