Texas A&M College fired coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, a transfer that may price the college greater than $75 million and finish a tenure that started six years in the past with the Aggies presenting him with the engraved nationwide championship trophy he missed simply final 12 months.
“After a really cautious evaluation of all parts associated to Texas A&M soccer, I advisable to President (Mark) Welch after which Chancellor (John) Sharpe {that a} change in program management was needed to ensure that soccer to achieve our full capability.” “They settle for my determination,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Burke mentioned in an announcement. “We respect Coach Fisher’s time right here at Texas A&M College and need him nicely in his future endeavors.”
As a substitute of successful a title, Fisher went 45-25 and 27-21 within the Southeastern Convention, by no means successful greater than 9 video games in any season. The Aggies are 6-4 with two video games remaining, coming off 51-10 victory over Mississippi State Saturday night time in Faculty Station, Texas.
Fisher was lured away from Florida State, the place he received a nationwide championship in 2013, underneath an enormous 10-year, absolutely assured contract on the finish of the 2017 season.
That contract was prolonged once more to 10 years after he led the Aggies to a 9-1 document through the 2020 pandemic season, A&M’s finest 12 months underneath Fisher.
Based on his contract, Fisher is price the complete the rest of his deal — no matter whether or not he will get one other teaching job — a staggering buyout that’s greater than 3 times the most important identified sum for a fired head coach.
Auburn paid about $21 million when it fired Gus Malzahn after the 2020 season.
Fisher was requested if the season was disappointing after Saturday night time’s win.
“It is not irritating, but it surely’s disappointing typically,” Fisher mentioned. “Like I mentioned, we’re three or 4 video games away from a playoff spot. However we have to get by way of it and develop from it and be taught from it for subsequent 12 months.
Touchdown Fisher was considered as a robust transfer by Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward. The coach by no means left the college the place he received a nationwide championship and instantly moved on to a different job since Johnny Majors left Pittsburgh for Tennessee in 1977.
Texas A&M has just one nationwide title to its credit score in 1939 and final received a convention championship in 1998 as a member of the Massive 12.
At Fisher’s introductory press convention, college leaders laid out their targets, engraving them with a 20——– nationwide championship trophy.
Fisher has by no means received a Southeastern Convention division title, and when the Aggies went 5-7 final season to fail to advance to a bowl sport for the primary time since 2008, the stress elevated in 2023.
He was employed to interchange Kevin Sumlin, who was fired with one sport remaining in 2017 with a 7-5 document that 12 months and a 51-26 mark in six seasons. However Fisher did not even match the success of Sumlin — who went 11-2 in his first season when Johnny Manziel received the Heisman Trophy — not to mention increase the workforce’s stage underneath his management.
Fisher lastly relinquished the play-calling duties and employed former head coach Bobby Petrino to run the offense. There was some enchancment on that facet of the ball, though accidents — most notably to promising midfielder Conner Wegman — have hampered progress.
An early-season loss to Miami made Texas A&M followers rapidly start to surprise if something had modified. A string of three losses in 4 video games to Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi assured the Aggies of one other middle-of-the-pack season within the SEC.
The Aggies have remaining common season video games towards Abilene Christian and LSU.
