Current:Home > ContactTexas A&M fires coach Jimbo Fisher, a move that will cost the school $75M -FutureProof Finance
Texas A&M fires coach Jimbo Fisher, a move that will cost the school $75M
View
Date:2025-04-13 22:50:40
Texas A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, a move that will cost the school more than $75 million and end a tenure that began six years ago with the Aggies presenting him an engraved national championship trophy missing only the year.
“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President (Mark) Welsh and then Chancellor (John) Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Instead of winning a title, Fisher went 45-25 and 27-21 in the Southeastern Conference, never winning more than nine games in any season. The Aggies are 6-4 with two games left, coming off a 51-10 victory against Mississippi State on Saturday night in College Station, Texas.
Fisher was lured away from Florida State, where he had won a national championship in 2013, by massive 10-year, fully guaranteed contract at the end of the 2017 season.
That contract was extended back to 10 years after he led the Aggies to a 9-1 record during the 2020 pandemic season, by far A&M’s best year under Fisher.
According to his contract, Fisher is owed the entirety of what remains on his deal — regardless of whether he gets another job in coaching — a staggering buyout that is more than triple the largest known given to a fired head coach.
Auburn paid out about $21 million when it fired Gus Malzahn after the 2020 season.
Fisher was asked if the season was frustrating after Saturday night’s victory.
“It’s not frustrating, but it’s disappointing at times,” Fisher said. “Like I’ve said, we’re three or four plays from playing in a playoff spot. But we’ve got to put that past us and grow from it and learn from it for next year.”
Landing Fisher was seen a power move by then-Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward. A coach had not left a school where he won a national championship and immediately jumped to another job since Johnny Majors left Pittsburgh for Tennessee in 1977.
Texas A&M has only one national title to its credit in 1939 and last won a conference championship in 1998 as a member of the Big 12.
At Fisher’s introductory news conference, school leaders made their goals clear, having a national championship trophy made up with 20-- engraved on it.
Fisher never even won a Southeastern Conference division title, and when the Aggies went 5-7 last season to fail to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2008, the pressure ramped up in 2023.
He was hired to replace Kevin Sumlin, who was fired with one game left in 2017 with a 7-5 record that year and a 51-26 mark in six seasons. But Fisher didn’t even match the success of Sumlin — who went 11-2 in his first season when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy — much less elevate the team under his command.
Fisher finally gave up play-calling duties and hired former head coach Bobby Petrino to run the offense. There was some improvement on that side of the ball, though injuries — most notably to promising quarterback Conner Weigman — blunted progress.
An early season loss to Miami made Texas A&M fans quickly begin to wonder if anything had changed. A stretch of three losses in four games to Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi assured the Aggies of another season in the middle of the pack in the SEC.
The Aggies have regular-season games left against Abilene Christian and LSU.
___
AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report. Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
veryGood! (53489)
Related
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Savannah Chrisley Says Mom Julie’s Resentencing Case Serves as “Retaliation”
- Video of fatal shooting of Kentucky judge by accused county sheriff shown in court
- Over 340 Big Lots stores set to close: See full list of closures after dozens of locations added
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Crumbl Fans Outraged After Being Duped Into Buying Cookies That Were Secretly Imported
- Opinion: Jayden Daniels and Doug Williams share a special QB connection – as they should
- Former Packers RB Eddie Lacy arrested, charged with 'extreme DUI'
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Killer Whales in Chile Have Begun Preying on Dolphins. What Does It Mean?
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 6? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- The president could invoke a 1947 law to try to suspend the dockworkers’ strike. Here’s how
- Timothée Chalamet's Sister Pauline Chalamet Supports Kylie Jenner at Paris Fashion Week
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Making Chiefs History
- MLB postseason highlights: Padres, Mets secure big wins in Game 1 of wild-card series
- Andrew Garfield Reveals He's Never Used His Real Voice for a Movie Until Now
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
NFL power rankings Week 5: Do surging Baltimore Ravens rocket all the way up to No. 1?
Woody Allen and His Wife Soon-Yi Previn Make Rare Public Appearance Together in NYC
'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 finale: Release date, time, cast, where to watch
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death is expected to plead guilty
UC says federal law prevents it from hiring undocumented students. A lawsuit seeks to change that
Sarah Hyland's Former Manager Accuses Her of Denying Him Modern Family Royalties