Texas A&M University announced on Sunday that it has fired head football coach Jimbo Fisher, ending his six-year tenure with the Aggies. The decision came after a mediocre season that saw the team finish with a 6-4 record and miss out on a chance to compete for the Southeastern Conference title.
Fisher, who won a national championship with Florida State in 2013, was hired by Texas A&M in 2017 with a 10-year, $75 million contract that was fully guaranteed. The deal was extended by four years in 2021, making Fisher one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. However, Fisher failed to deliver on the high expectations that came with his hefty salary. He never won more than nine games in any season and went 27-21 in the SEC, often losing to rivals like Alabama, LSU, and Auburn.
The Aggies’ athletic director, Ross Bjork, said in a statement that he recommended the change in leadership after a careful analysis of the program. “In my analysis … our program is stuck in neutral,” Bjork said. “Something was not working.” Bjork thanked Fisher for his time at Texas A&M and wished him the best in his future endeavors.
Fisher to receive a record-breaking buyout
The firing of Fisher will cost Texas A&M more than $75 million, which is the amount that remains on his contract. This is the largest buyout ever given to a fired head coach in college sports history, surpassing the $21 million that Auburn paid to Gus Malzahn in 2020. According to a source familiar with the discussions, no public money will be used to pay Fisher’s buyout. Instead, the school will rely on donor funds and other sources of revenue.
Fisher’s contract was widely criticized when it was signed, as many experts questioned the wisdom of giving such a long and lucrative deal to a coach who had not proven himself at Texas A&M. The contract also had no performance incentives or buyout reductions, meaning that Fisher was guaranteed to receive his full salary regardless of his results or whether he took another job. Fisher’s contract was seen as a power move by the former athletic director, Scott Woodward, who lured Fisher away from Florida State in a rare move that involved a coach leaving a school where he had won a national title.
Texas A&M to begin search for new coach
Texas A&M will now begin the process of finding a new coach to lead its football program, which has a rich history and tradition but has not won a national championship since 1939. The school said that it will conduct a national search and will consider candidates who have a proven track record of success and who share the vision and values of Texas A&M.
Some of the names that have been mentioned as possible replacements for Fisher include Luke Fickell of Cincinnati, Dave Aranda of Baylor, Matt Campbell of Iowa State, Billy Napier of Louisiana, and Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss. Texas A&M will also have to compete with other schools that are looking for new coaches, such as LSU, Florida, Virginia Tech, and Washington.
Texas A&M has two games left in its regular season, against Prairie View A&M and LSU. The interim coach for those games has not been announced yet. The Aggies are still eligible for a bowl game, but their chances of making a major one are slim.
