.... for once - its not Zwerneman dumping on A&M ...
JEROME SOLOMON
Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher hasn’t found the same sort of success he had at Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to a national title, going 39-21 in five seasons with the Aggies.
Texas A&M, a college football program that aspires to win national championships, cannot be pleased.
It just can’t be.
Jimbo Fisher was supposed to turn Aggieland into the promised land. That is why the Aggies pursued him as if he were the antidote to their futility.
“He is the right coach, at the right time for Texas A&M,” then athletic director Scott Woodward said when Fisher was introduced as the 24th head coach in school history. “I am confident that greatness is right around the corner.”
(Insert “shaking my head” emoji.)
“Greatness is right around the corner,” should be in the Aggie War Hymn lyrics. It is as much A&M as “saw varsity’s horns off.”
It must be frustrating to go 0-for-the-last-83-seasons when it comes to a national championship.
After five seasons of Fisher, we’re in another summer where we’re still talking about 1939, the number, and a season in which the Aggies aren’t expected to put up much of a fight against the powers that be.
Eighty-three years? Neither of the “Grumpy Old Men” and none of the “Golden Girls” were that old.
If the Aggies play up to the over/under odds of 8 1 /2 wins, they will finish behind Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.
A&M shouldn’t be content with third-place division finishes.
By any normal measure, perpetually grumpy Aggies would have Fisher on such a hot seat that it would be wise for him to check under his office chair for a bonfire twice a day. As is, Fisher’s backside is quite cool.
Why? A&M has grown accustomed to not winning. Plus, the former Florida State coach is sittin’ on a lot of cheddar.
Fisher’s sixth season at A&M isn’t a make-or-break year because at the end of it, his buyout is a ridiculous $77 million.
Fisher’s current buyout is more than the total salaries paid to all of the football coaches in A&M history combined. Even adjusted for inflation.
Granted, the college football world has changed.
When A&M chased down Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1954, signing him to a massive $25,000-a-year contract, it raised eyebrows. But Bryant’s salary was still a far cry from President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s $100k.
Fisher makes about 23 times what the leader of the free world makes today.
Gotta give the Aggies credit for trying their darnedest. Bless their hearts.
Remember when they offered Michigan legend Bo Schembechler an unheard of 10-year contract?
Schembechler said he was “flabbergasted” by the offer, but chose not to leave Ann Arbor.
“I’ve come to the conclusion there are things more important in this world than money, so I’m staying in Michigan,” Schembechler said.
Jackie Sherrill swooped in, took the cash, and cheated his way to a couple top-10 finishes, but didn’t come close to scratching the Aggies national championship itch in his seven-year run.
Incredibly, it has been 25 years since Sirr Parker delivered the last A&M conference title.
A&M has finished ranked in the Associated Press poll just five times in this century, with just two of those being higher than 15th. That’s pathetic.
Why can’t A&M get it done?
We have been asking this question for decades and have yet to find a consensus answer.
With unlimited funds from wealthy donors and a large alumni base, a huge, passionate student body, one of the country’s best stadiums, and facilities that the Joneses try to keep up with, it is inexplicable that A&M isn’t a winning powerhouse program.
As the others before him, Fisher has failed to build a winner.
His high-water mark was a 9-1 record in 2020, the year COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the season. Aggie haters discount that year because in mask-free seasons Fisher’s Aggies are 15-17 in SEC play.
A&M began last season ranked No. 6, and ended the year with a 5-7 mark, its first losing season since 2009, and finished last in the SEC West.
Overall, Fisher is 39-21 in five seasons, giving him a winning percentage that is a significant drop-off from the record he posted at Florida State.
Through his first five years in Tallahassee, Fisher won a national championship and took the Seminoles to two other New Year’s Day bowls.
A&M would have to win 44 of its next 46 games for Fisher to match his record at Florida State. That will not happen.
Fisher’s Aggies need to open the season with five straight victories just to match his predecessor Kevin Sumlin’s five-year start. That is possible, but not anything worth celebrating.
Not for more than $9 million a year.
A&M, No. 21 in the Associated Press preseason poll and 25th in the USA Today coaches poll, doesn’t play any teams currently ranked in its first five games, but does travel to Miami and Arkansas.
Oh, and Game 6 is against Alabama.
There are reasons to be optimistic. A&M has a slew of returning starters and Fisher has brought in highly rated recruiting classes year after year.
But there are just as many reasons to expect more mediocrity. After all, the Aggies have lived through years and years of it.
If they were truly tired of accepting that, Fisher would be on the hot seat.
NO HOT SEAT FOR FISHER
Coach still hasn’t led Aggies to national title, but the program is used to not winning big
JEROME SOLOMON
Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher hasn’t found the same sort of success he had at Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to a national title, going 39-21 in five seasons with the Aggies.
Texas A&M, a college football program that aspires to win national championships, cannot be pleased.
It just can’t be.
Jimbo Fisher was supposed to turn Aggieland into the promised land. That is why the Aggies pursued him as if he were the antidote to their futility.
“He is the right coach, at the right time for Texas A&M,” then athletic director Scott Woodward said when Fisher was introduced as the 24th head coach in school history. “I am confident that greatness is right around the corner.”
(Insert “shaking my head” emoji.)
“Greatness is right around the corner,” should be in the Aggie War Hymn lyrics. It is as much A&M as “saw varsity’s horns off.”
It must be frustrating to go 0-for-the-last-83-seasons when it comes to a national championship.
After five seasons of Fisher, we’re in another summer where we’re still talking about 1939, the number, and a season in which the Aggies aren’t expected to put up much of a fight against the powers that be.
Eighty-three years? Neither of the “Grumpy Old Men” and none of the “Golden Girls” were that old.
If the Aggies play up to the over/under odds of 8 1 /2 wins, they will finish behind Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.
A&M shouldn’t be content with third-place division finishes.
By any normal measure, perpetually grumpy Aggies would have Fisher on such a hot seat that it would be wise for him to check under his office chair for a bonfire twice a day. As is, Fisher’s backside is quite cool.
Why? A&M has grown accustomed to not winning. Plus, the former Florida State coach is sittin’ on a lot of cheddar.
Fisher’s sixth season at A&M isn’t a make-or-break year because at the end of it, his buyout is a ridiculous $77 million.
Fisher’s current buyout is more than the total salaries paid to all of the football coaches in A&M history combined. Even adjusted for inflation.
Granted, the college football world has changed.
When A&M chased down Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1954, signing him to a massive $25,000-a-year contract, it raised eyebrows. But Bryant’s salary was still a far cry from President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s $100k.
Fisher makes about 23 times what the leader of the free world makes today.
Gotta give the Aggies credit for trying their darnedest. Bless their hearts.
Remember when they offered Michigan legend Bo Schembechler an unheard of 10-year contract?
Schembechler said he was “flabbergasted” by the offer, but chose not to leave Ann Arbor.
“I’ve come to the conclusion there are things more important in this world than money, so I’m staying in Michigan,” Schembechler said.
Jackie Sherrill swooped in, took the cash, and cheated his way to a couple top-10 finishes, but didn’t come close to scratching the Aggies national championship itch in his seven-year run.
Incredibly, it has been 25 years since Sirr Parker delivered the last A&M conference title.
A&M has finished ranked in the Associated Press poll just five times in this century, with just two of those being higher than 15th. That’s pathetic.
Why can’t A&M get it done?
We have been asking this question for decades and have yet to find a consensus answer.
With unlimited funds from wealthy donors and a large alumni base, a huge, passionate student body, one of the country’s best stadiums, and facilities that the Joneses try to keep up with, it is inexplicable that A&M isn’t a winning powerhouse program.
As the others before him, Fisher has failed to build a winner.
His high-water mark was a 9-1 record in 2020, the year COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the season. Aggie haters discount that year because in mask-free seasons Fisher’s Aggies are 15-17 in SEC play.
A&M began last season ranked No. 6, and ended the year with a 5-7 mark, its first losing season since 2009, and finished last in the SEC West.
Overall, Fisher is 39-21 in five seasons, giving him a winning percentage that is a significant drop-off from the record he posted at Florida State.
Through his first five years in Tallahassee, Fisher won a national championship and took the Seminoles to two other New Year’s Day bowls.
A&M would have to win 44 of its next 46 games for Fisher to match his record at Florida State. That will not happen.
Fisher’s Aggies need to open the season with five straight victories just to match his predecessor Kevin Sumlin’s five-year start. That is possible, but not anything worth celebrating.
Not for more than $9 million a year.
A&M, No. 21 in the Associated Press preseason poll and 25th in the USA Today coaches poll, doesn’t play any teams currently ranked in its first five games, but does travel to Miami and Arkansas.
Oh, and Game 6 is against Alabama.
There are reasons to be optimistic. A&M has a slew of returning starters and Fisher has brought in highly rated recruiting classes year after year.
But there are just as many reasons to expect more mediocrity. After all, the Aggies have lived through years and years of it.
If they were truly tired of accepting that, Fisher would be on the hot seat.
