NASHVILLE – There’s perhaps no SEC coach under more pressure than Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. If his team underwhelms again, he might not be around for the rebirth of the Texas A&M-Texas rivalry in 2024.
Asked about any added pressure, Fisher dismissed it.
“We live under pressure every day,” he said. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anybody out there ever puts on us, so there’s no added pressure because what good does that do? Does worrying make you any better? No. What you’ve got to do is get to solutions. You’ve got to line up and understand what went right, what went wrong, what kind of team you have now, and that each team changes year by year. …
“To answer (the) question about pressure, it’s not that you don’t feel - we feel pressure every day. We feel pressure in everything we’ve got to do. So there’s no added pressure. It’s just a matter of dealing with what you have to deal with and go execute and try to win football games.”
Fisher arrived as Aggies coach with much fanfare. The man who replaced Bobby Bowden at Florida State, Fisher went 83-23 in eight seasons, including winning three ACC titles and a national championship with a stacked roster headlined by Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, fired Kevin Sumlin after a six-year run that produced a 51-26 record (and Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel). The Aggies paid a sizable buyout while spending further to lure Fisher from FSU, creating expectations they could be a title contender each season.
But as each season passes, Fisher’s star loses more shine. He’s 39-21 in six seasons as the Aggies headman, notably giving him a worse winning percentage than Sumlin (.662 vs. .650). After collecting one of the greatest recruiting classes in history, with expectations abound, Texas A&M went 5-7 last season.
All that’s to say, the Fisher era has been a disappointment thus far. The Aggies were 9-1 in 2020 – their only season under him that didn’t result in four or more losses – but followed with an 8-4 mark and last season’s losing results. The Aggies are 6-10 in the SEC over the last two years, including 2-6 last year. Brian Kelly, in his first season at LSU, won the SEC West in 2022, which doesn’t help Fisher’s case either.
There have been good moments. The Aggies ended LSU’s playoff aspirations with an upset win last November. They defeated Alabama in October 2021. An optimist would point to five of their losses last season being by one score.
But the bottom-line is that the sensational recruiting hasn’t led to consistent winning, and questions persist as to how much longer Texas A&M will accept suboptimal results – especially knowing their desperation and deep pockets (Fisher’s buyout would exceed $70 million, certainly an expensive decision).
Senior defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson endorsed Fisher when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked about him Monday.
“If you look back on the history of coach Fisher, he’s done a tremendous job,” Jackson said. “He’s won more than one national championship, even if he wasn’t the head coach. He’s had tremendous players, tremendous teams. He’s done it all. And I feel like I’m a product of him. I listen to everything he says and I wouldn’t be here today without him.”
An encouraging 2023 season would help, though Fisher is already facing an uphill climb with Alabama and LSU in the SEC West. The schedule is unforgiving: Texas A&M has a four-game stretch against Auburn, Arkansas (in Dallas), Alabama and at Tennessee beginning Sept. 23. The Aggies also face Ole Miss and LSU on the road.
Senior receiver Ainias Smith on why Texas A&M has underachieved:
“In the past, we haven’t (come) together, in a way,” he said. “It was a lot of individualism coming into A&M. A lot of people coming now who are getting recruited are so big on NIL. Parents are looking for NIL deals and whatnot. Then a lot of people were fixated on me, me, me and wanting to get things done for them and not necessarily the team.
“Now, I feel like the team is buying in. We don’t have those people who are going to jump back at you if you try to correct something, or if you try to help them, they’re not going to feel some kind of way or feel attacked because of whatever it is they’re going through. Everybody is willing to listen, to be led. I feel like that’s the biggest difference this year, the accountability we’ve had and just making sure we’re all on the same page.”
Aggies representatives sounded upbeat Monday. Fisher believes the offensive line will be better than a year ago. He spoke well of quarterback Conner Weigman, the perceived frontrunner in a competition with Max Johnson. He lauded his team’s leadership. New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin drew praise from players. The word “swagger” was invoked often about Petrino. Smith even said outsiders will be exclaiming ‘wow’ - in a good way - at the team’s offense by season’s end.
But it will take vast improvement across the board for Texas A&M to play meaningful conference games late in the year. And if it struggles again, Fisher’s status is going to be one of the SEC’s biggest stories throughout the fall.
