The Texas A&M Aggies fired head coach Jimbo Fisher in November, putting an end to a tumultuous tenure that had him on the hot seat in each of the last three seasons.
During a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Fisher went on the record for the first time since being let go by the Aggies.
Among the topics discussed, was Fisher's record $77 million buyout, which shattered the last previous buyout record of $21.7 million - and he isn't complaining.
“Thank you,” Fisher said laughing. “Hey, I’m not complaining.”
Fisher went on to finish the season with the Aggies with a 6-4, following the massive disappointment of the 5-7 2022 record. Which, given the standards of the fan base and the university, were far below expectations.
He then chalked the losses to Miami, Alabama, Tennessee, and Ole Miss in 2023 up to injuries and projected that had he not been let go, the Aggies were going to have a much better season in 2024.
“You don’t ever see it coming because I thought we were playing well and had a great game, and hopefully finish out 8-4 or 9-4, win nine games, and we had the injuries that happened,” Fisher said. “Because I really think the team we had coming and what we had going was going to be a really good football team (next season).”
“It’s about success, you want to have success, and I still think we’ve got a heck of a team if we didn’t have some injuries."
After the departure of Fisher, the Aggies went on to lose 23 players to the NCAA transfer portal, including standouts such as Walter Nolen, Evan Stewart, Jake Johson, LT Overon, Fadil Diggs, and Max Johnson - some of whom, despite what some may believe, were likely going to hit the portal regardless of whether or not Fisher was retained.
Either way, those players are now gone, and Mike Elko has the reigns of the program, ushering in what the Aggies hope to be a new era of success in College Station.
As for Fisher, he now moves into next season with plenty of time to decide what his next step might be. And by the sounds of it, he is going to take his time.
"Here’s what I say about this — for myself, I’ll be fine," Fisher said.
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