FSU Football: Q&A with Texas A&M experts at Gig’em Gazette
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football is going through the usual rumors of Jimbo Fisher potentially leaving Tallahassee.
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We sat down to discuss the possibility of FSU football coach Jimbo Fisher leaving Tallahassee for College Station with FanSided’s Texas A&M site expert Matthew Bartlett.
The news that A&M is interested in Fisher has been circulating for some time now, and Fisher has a no comment policy about teams pursuing him during the season.
That has rubbed some FSU fans the wrong way with some believing he’s leaning towards leaving Tallahassee.
We discuss what the Aggies think will happen in this situation.
Q: Fisher has been linked several open coaches gigs the past couple of years. Why do you think Texas A&M has him as their top target despite not having any real connections to the recruiting base, and do you think Fisher could turn the Aggies into a perennial top 10 program?
Bartlett: Texas A&M is going to swing for the fences. They’re going to give everyone a call. Given the rumors circulating around Jimbo Fisher and LSU it’s not unreasonable for them to think they have a shot at luring him away from FSU. There are plenty of quality options as far as recruiters available to hire, including some of the guys on the current staff.
I think there’s something to be said about a coach building a program. Alabama pre-Saban, Clemson pre-Dabo are both good examples of programs that weren’t perennial powerhouses becoming major players quickly. Jimbo has built a quality program at Florida State and I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to achieve similar results at Texas A&M.
Q: If Texas A&M is spurned by Fisher who do you foresee being the next top target for the Aggies and why?
Bartlett: If Fisher declines don’t be surprised to see names like Chris Petersen brought up in the next wave of rumors. He might be out of reach, but the Aggies’ current AD hired him at Washington. He’ll certainly get a phone call. After that I think they’ll explore guys like Matt Campbell at Iowa State and Chad Morris at SMU.
Q: Why should Jimbo Fisher leave a program he rebuilt like Florida State for a program like A&M?
Bartlett: Maybe it’s time for a change and a new challenge. There’s something to be said about the grass being greener on the other side. The Aggies can certainly pony up and pay him whatever he wants. Given the current state of affairs in College Station he could more or less name his price and get most of his demands met without much fuss. I sure get the feeling that the current administration would do backflips to get him to town.
Q: How do you feel about the way the A&M administration has handled the Kevin Sumlin deal with announcing he’ll be fired before the LSU game?
Bartlett: The “correct” way to handle this would have been to keep silent until after the LSU game, but it’s not like this news is coming as a shock to anyone. The only thing that’s changed is someone had the courage to put pen to paper and publish what has been circulating around College Station since the UCLA debacle. Plenty of people are bent out of shape about it, but Texas A&M fired their last coach via a phone call while he was in the driveway on a recruiting visit. Not how you draw it up, but college football isn’t often kind.
Q: Do you think the way they have handled this will affect who they are able to bring in as their next coach?
Bartlett: I don’t think so. Any coach that the Aggies bring in won’t be worried about his exit. He’ll be brought in to win and he’ll be promised the moon to help that happen.
Next: Top 5 Reasons Why Jimbo Fisher Stays at FSU in 2018
Jimbo Fisher or otherwise, most coaches get fired before they decide it’s time to hang it up. This smoke will die down and be forgotten until the next time the Aggies are making a coaching hire.