Jimbo Fisher Says He'll Remain at Texas A&M Despite AD Scott Woodward's Exit

The changing of the guard at Texas A&M will stop with athletic director Scott Woodward's departure to LSU on April 18. 

Head football coach Jimbo Fisher assured fans that he plans on staying with the Aggies "for a long time" during an interview with TexAgs on Tuesday: 

Fisher arrived to College Station in 2018 and led the football program to a 9-4 record in the regular season before ending the season with a dominant 52-13 Gator Bowl victory over NC State.

Fisher is contractually obligated to stay with Texas A&M for a long time, as he signed a 10-year, $75 million contract last August. As Baby noted, it's not at all guaranteed that another university would have as much guaranteed money to give Fisher.

Fisher publicly reiterating his commitment to A&M comes after Dallas Morning News Aggies beat writer Ben Baby outlined why the coach may exit to join Woodward at LSU: 

"But, the question is if Jimbo will one day take less money to not only work with Woodward, but also return to LSU. Jimbo has very fond memories of his time in Baton Rouge. At last year's SEC media days, he said it was 'unfortunate' the two sides couldn't work out a deal when Fisher was looking to leave Florida State.

"This isn't something A&M fans want to hear right now, but that's where the situation stands. Aggies should take solace in that Jimbo would likely have to leave a lot of money on the table to work anywhere else."

Contractual obligations go out the window, however, without success. University president Michael K. Young admitted as much in an interview with Texas Monthly (h/t Dallas Morning News) when he said that his contract will be worth it depending on what he accomplishes: 

"Young told the publication that filling Kyle Field ('we've got some empty seats'), reaching a New Year's Six bowl and more prestigious TV time slots (i.e., not playing at 11 a.m. on SEC Network) are key financial factors to watch under Fisher's tenure." 

The 53-year-old coach had a winning track record in eight seasons at Florida State before taking over the Aggies. Most notably, Fisher led the Seminoles to a BCS Championship in 2013. He posted an 83-23 overall record along with a 5-2 bowl record.

Moving forward, A&M has begun to put the correct infrastructure in place for Fisher by handing R.C. Slocum—the winningest coach in school history—the interim athletic director role.