Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork on Jimbo Fisher Firing: Aggies Were 'Stuck in Neutral'

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told reporters that his decision to fire head coach Jimbo Fisher was due to the program being "stuck in neutral," according to ESPN's Dave Wilson.

"The assessment that I delivered was that we are not reaching our full potential," Bjork said. "We are not in the championship conversation and something was not quite right about our direction and the plan."

The Aggies have gotten off to a 6-4 start this year, including a record of just 4-3 in the SEC.

After picking up bowl wins in each of his first three seasons as head coach to go along with a 9-1 record in 2020, the expectations for Fisher's program were high.

However, Texas A&M has gone 19-15 in the three years since. This includes a dismal 5-7 finish in 2022. Fisher was never able to bring the national championship contention to the Aggies that he previously experienced at Florida State.

His recruiting classes were strong, with each one ranking within the top 10 from 2019-2022 according to 247sports. In fact, Texas A&M's 2022 class was No. 1 in the country with eight 5-star players.

However, it rarely translated to the on-field success that fans initially imagined when he was hired at the end of the 2017 season.

"The assessment that I delivered was that we are not reaching our full potential," Bjork said, per Wilson. "We are not in the championship conversation and something was not quite right about our direction and the plan. We should be relevant on the national scene."

Fisher is still owed just more than $76 million due to a contract extension that he signed in 2021. It's the largest buyout in college football history.