When Texas A&M hired Jimbo Fisher, they were desperate for change, in more ways than one. At the time, Texas A&M had just endured a 7-5 season under Kevin Sumlin. And during his 5 seasons with the Aggies, Sumlin went 51–26 at A&M, with a 25–23 record in the SEC.
Simply put, the Aggies weren’t satisfied.
When Sumlin was fired on November 26, 2017, many wondered what was next. Who would be the coach to take over the reins and hopefully lead the Aggies back into the spotlight as a winning team in the SEC.
On December 4, 2017, Texas A&M announced Jimbo Fisher as the new head coach. And on paper, it seemed to be a good fit.
During Fisher’s 8 years at Florida State, he led the Seminoles to three Atlantic Coast Conference championships, six ten-win seasons, and led the Seminoles to win the 2013 national championship.
So when Fisher was hired, excitement and hopes filled College Station. Hopes that maybe, just maybe, the Aggies would become a team in the SEC West to give Alabama a run for their money.
Except, that hasn’t happened. Not yet at least. And Aggies fans are becoming impatient.
This is the 3rd time the Aggies have faced the Crimson Tide under Jimbo Fisher.
In 2018, Alabama won 45-23.
And in 2019, Alabama once again won, 47-28.
Texas A&M hasn’t beaten Alabama since 2012 when Johnny Manziel and the Aggies shocked the Tide at home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 29-24.
Aggies fans want a real victory to show that Fisher was worth every single penny of his 10 year/$75 million dollar contract.
During his first season, Fisher led the Aggies to an 8–4 record. That season, the Aggies beat the No.7 LSU Tigers. They went on to play, and beat, NC State in the Gator Bowl, 52-13.
But last season was rough for Texas A&M. They went 8-5 and lost to Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl, 24-21.
Simply put, the Aggies want a season where they are not only in the running to contend for the SEC West, but they also want to be a team worth being mentioned for a national title.
And so far, that hasn’t happened for them.
The last season Texas A&M won more than 9 games was in 2012, the year they beat Alabama, and the first season as a part of the SEC.
A win for the Aggies on Saturday against Alabama would be more than just a win. For the Aggies, it would be a huge statement win for the season after struggling against Vanderbilt in week one.
And for Jimbo Fisher, it would lower the temperature of his seat he’s currently sitting on. It would lower the pressure he has to beat a top-ranked team, especially a team like Alabama.
A loss, well, it would be one more year the Aggies weren’t able to beat the Crimson Tide.
And honestly, it would be one more big game that Aggieland would look at Jimbo Fisher and say, “When will you be able to beat Alabama?”
Fisher spoke with ESPN a few days ago and made it clear, he knows the pressure is on him:
“You’re always still a work in progress, but at the same time, you don’t want a lot of patience. I don’t have a lot of patience. I want to get it here quick and I think it can be — you’ve just gotta fight through those final two steps.
I always say this: When you’re climbing a mountain, it’s always that 10% that is always hardest to get on top of. It really separates. A lot of people get to that point and then that’s what get’s them separated — the psychology disposition, the mental disposition, and the confidence and grit to grind through that last 10 percent and make yourself a champion. That’s hopefully what we’re getting to. We’ve just got to get there, and we’ll find out coming up.”
Simply put, Saturday’s game against Alabama will truly make or break for Fisher because it’s beyond time for him to prove himself at Texas A&M.
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