Jimbo Fisher's Texas A&M Tenure Detailed by Insiders: Former HC 'Lost His Fastball'

Texas A&M insiders said Jimbo Fisher had already peaked as a football coach when the Aggies signed him $95 million deal in 2021, according to The Athletic's Sam Khan Jr., Bruce Feldman and Max Olson.

"Jimbo lost his fastball," one former Texas A&M staffer said, per Khan, Feldman and Olson. "He was hungry and motivated at FSU. Then he started reading his press clippings."

Fisher was fired by Texas A&M on November 12 in exchange for a record buyout of more than $76 million, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The Aggies put together a 45-25 record in six seasons under Fisher but have not played a College Football Playoff game since he took over.

Fisher joined the school after eight seasons with Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to the program's first national championship since 2014.

But Florida State declined after that championship— and insiders blamed Fisher for a similar decline at Texas A&M, which ranks last in the FBS in total offense with 4,455 yards gained through 11 games.

That offense was heavily dictated by Fisher. After the Aggies finished 2022 as one of the worst offensive teams in college football, the team hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator. Even after that, many of the plays Petrino called were still designed by Fisher, A&M staffers told ESPN's Dave Wilson.

A staffer similarly told Khan, Feldman and Olson that Fisher hired Petrino "for perception" but never truly gave up control of the Aggies' offense.

"Jimbo's scheme was antiquated in 2014 when he won a national championship at Florida State," one staffer on an opposing SEC team said, per Khan, Feldman and Olson. "It was kind of out-of-date then, and it's just not gotten better in 10 years."

According to Khan, Feldman and Olson, five people involved with the Texas A&M program described Fisher as "stubborn."

The record buyout shows how serious Texas A&M was about getting away from that leadership. By firing Fisher and getting additional time with the NCAA transfer portal open ahead of December 4, the Aggies have extra time to put together a new offensive identity heading into 2024.