Jimbo Fisher's departure from the Texas A&M Aggies was ugly, no two ways around it.
Texas A&M hired Fisher following the 2017 season, hoping the national-championship winning coach at Florida State would bring the same success to College Station. However, the only time they came close to the College Football Playoff under him was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when they were the first team out and then finished at No. 4 after winning the Orange Bowl. Aside from that the Aggies' seasons under Fisher ranged from good but not great (9-4 in 2018) to abysmal (5-7 in 2022).
In November of 2023, the Aggies fired Fisher and paid him a buyout of $77.5 million, far and away the largest in college football history. Despite being set for life with that buyout, he's not quite ready to hang up his headset yet.
During an appearance on the "Trials to Triumphs" podcast, Fisher stated that he would be open to returning to the sideline in the "right situation."
“I’ve enjoyed my time with my family, but I always tried to include my family,” Fisher said. “Remember, I took the kids, and we always had them at practices and they were, like, part of the team. They were in the locker rooms and all that. But to answer your question, if the right situation comes along and it’s right, I’m still 59. I’m still in great shape, I’m healthy, have had success everywhere we’ve ever been. We know at the end at A&M, it’s unfortunate, but we also had the highest-ranked team they ever had there in 2020. … The way the game is, yes, I still do because I still love it.
“I never thought of it as a job. I loved it. And I think to be able to do it, I would. I’ve been fortunate, I’ve won 72% of my games, won 80% of my playoff games and been fortunate to win a national championship as a head coach, as an assistant. I miss the relationships with the players. But to ask you that, yeah, I would be very interested in still doing it because I think I’ve still got a lot to give and I’d like to get back out there. I really would.”
Fisher took over for the legendary Bobby Bowden at FSU and carried his legacy as well, compiling an 83-23 record with six 10+-win seasons and the aforementioned national championship in 2013. Even with his struggles at A&M, he still managed a 45-25 overall record.
Fisher has been involved in football, spending last season with SiriusXM and now joining the ACC Network. However, nothing can quite match the feeling of being there on the sideline.
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