Tag: Jimbo Fisher

Former coach Jimbo Fisher’s son will kick for Samford vs. Texas A&M at Kyle Field in 2025

On Nov. 22, Samford will be visiting Kyle Field for Texas A&M’s regular season home finale, which may seem uninteresting on the surface.

Following Wednesday’s release of the 2025 Texas A&M football schedule, the media and 12th Man began dissecting every detail of the upcoming campaign, down to the minor details.

Carter Karels, the Aggies beat writer for 247Sports, immediately discovered a pretty interesting factoid. On Nov. 22, Samford will be visiting Kyle Field for Texas A&M’s regular season home finale.

While that may seem uninteresting on the surface, Karels spotted the game’s storyline. Former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher‘s son Ethan is currently a freshman kicker for the Bulldogs.

Ethan is 5-foot-7 and 135 pounds. He graduated from North Florida Christian High School earlier this year.

“Never would I ever have thought I would have this opportunity, especially being told at a very young age by doctors that I may never see the field,” Ethan stated on X upon committing to Samford last year.

Ethan received the Dale Doss Courage Award by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club in Dec. 2023.

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QB Conner Weigman sends final farewell to Texas A&M after entering the transfer portal

No matter where Conner Weigman ends up, we’ll all be rooting for him

On Tuesday, three more Texas A&M players entered the transfer portal, including redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, after a rollercoaster of a season that ended on the bench and only seeing the field for a handful of snaps.

Weigman’s Aggie career began with great promise but was marred by a series of injuries. He missed all but two games in 2023, and a shoulder issue sidelined him for three games during the 2024 season. This opened the door for current starting quarterback Marcel Reed.

Coming in as the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, Weigman’s development track lacked consistency due to the coaching and coordinator changes, especially after Jimbo Fisher’s firing, and having to adjust to current OC Collin Klein’s run-heavy offense.

While Aggie fans all wished him well after his announcement, the beloved signal-caller said it best in a text message conversation with KBTX’s Travis Brown:

“Sucks not being able to finish out my career here, but that’s life and things don’t always work out as planned,” Weigman stated via text. “I loved my time here and can proudly say I gave it all I got for my brothers.”

In a social media post released on Tuesday night, Weigman expressed his love and gratitude for the 12th Man, knowing that despite his portal entry, he will always remember his time in College Station:

“It has been an honor to run out onto Kyle Field in front of the 12th Man for the past three years. The memories and relationships I have made throughout my time in Aggieland will last a lifetime. I am proud to say I was a “Fightin’ Texas Aggie,” and it has been a privilege to call a special place like this home.”

Good luck, and we’ll be rooting for you 15.

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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed proclaims that Mike ‘Elko tells nothing but the truth’

“The people who stayed are a big testament to what this program has done this year and what we’re going to continue to do in coming years.”

Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko faced a tough decision midway through this season, whether to stick with the incumbent at quarterback, redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman, or move on to redshirt freshman Marcel Reed.

Elko ultimately went the younger route with Reed, who emerged during the Texas Bowl last year before Elko officially took over the program previously led by Jimbo Fisher.

Reed was a guest on the 12th Man Foundation‘s podcast “Answering the Call” this week, where he boasted about his head coach.

“Elko tells nothing but the truth,” Reed proclaimed. “The people who stayed are a big testament to what this program has done this year and what we’re going to continue to do in the coming years. Everyone in this organization has bought in and done what they’re supposed to do, and everybody is seeing the results of it.

“We’re going to keep doing that.”

The No. 14 Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) play Auburn (4-6, 1-5) in their penultimate regular season contest at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Texas A&M fired former head coach Jimbo Fisher a year ago today

A year ago today, The Mike Elko coaching era was just weeks in the making

Under the leadership of now-former head coach Jimbo Fisher, the Texas A&M Football program experienced a stark contrast. Despite Fisher’s success in recruiting, which was particularly evident in the nine-win season during the Covid-ravaged 2020 campaign, the team’s performance on the field did not match this success, especially in October and November.

Former AD Ross Bjork’s decision to extend Fisher’s contract until the 2031 season was always a gamble. It was a massive commitment based on a single season of success, and in this instance, may have been too hasty, shouldering most of the blame for not waiting to see Fisher’s long-term performance.

As the seasons wore on, including a 5-7 finish in 2022 after entering the year ranked 6th in the AP Top 25, the national media began to doubt if Fisher was the right choice from a cultural perspective. The accumulation of recruiting talent and the blatant lack of transfer portal utilization reached a breaking point toward the end of the 2023 season.

Losing three out of four key matchups, Texas A&M’s winnable 38-35 road loss to Ole Miss was the rumored loss that sealed Fisher’s fate, as the once big-time hire was let go on Sunday, Nov. 12, just a date after A&M’s 51-10 win over Mississippi State.

Fisher’s massive $75 million buyout is an obvious eye-sore, as the school and alumni are on the hook for the next seven years.

Two weeks later, the exhaustive coaching search came down to Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and Duke head coach Mike Elko. As we all remember, the negative online reaction regarding the rumored Stoops hire partially eliminated him from consideration.

Knowing that Elko had served under Fisher as the program’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, the veteran assistant was always the right choice. During his two-year stint with the Blue Devils, Elko checked off every want/need.

With just three regular-season games left in his first season, the Aggies are 7-2 and 5-1 in the SEC with a chance to earn a spot in the SEC Championship Game and the 12-team College Football Playoff. Elko has already improved the program. He has instilled a culture based on toughness and work ethic while matching Fisher’s recruiting success.

No. 14 Texas A&M will host New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 16. The game will air on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. CT.

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Former Texas A&M QB Zach Calzada is coming off a career game with Incarnate Word

Former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada may have an NFL future ahead of him

Former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada will never have to pay for another drink in College Station after helping the Aggies defeat Alabama during the 2021 season when the Crimson Tide was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.

During his two seasons at Texas A&M under former head coach Jimbo Fisher, Calzada’s big arm garnered interest from several other blue-blood programs, including the Georgia Bulldogs.

Still, Fisher ultimately won the recruiting battle. After only appearing in several games during his first two seasons, Calzada took over the starting job after current Georgia Tech starting QB Haynes King was injured in a game against Colorado.

After finding his footing, Calzada led the Aggies to a four-game win streak after defeating Alabama. However, the team ultimately lost a road game to Ole Miss, which would have likely vaulted the A&M into the playoff conversation.

Due to the return of Haynes King and then freshman quarterback Conner Weigman, Calzada initially transferred to Auburn for a year before settling with Incarnate Word during the 2023 season, where he has thrived ever since.

Finishing 2023 with 2,598 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, Calzada’s 2024 season is even more impressive after six games, including a career-high 5 passing touchdowns and 270 yards in Saturday’s win over Nicholls.

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Calzada’s 6-4 200-plus pound frame, paired with one of the strongest arms in college football, will likely garner scouting attention at the next level.

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Former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher rants about ‘utterly ridiculous’ CFB ‘cheating’

“We need revenue sharing. We need a salary cap for all schools… The tampering that other schools do with players, is utterly ridiculous.”

The media tour of former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher has been non-stop this season and it continued last week with a rant about cheating in college football.

“College football is — I complain about it, it’s still the greatest game. As much as I love NFL, and I’m crazy about it, and I respect it, but college football, man, you don’t know — 18, 22 teams, you don’t know what you’re going to get. I mean, it’s still so — I love college basketball, all those things, I love all college sports, but college football man, we need a commissioner. We need revenue sharing. We need a salary cap, for all schools, and if you’re caught — and the other part of this, the tampering that other schools do with players, is utterly ridiculous,” Fisher proclaimed on Oct. 1. “I mean, the big schools are going and getting players constantly from other schools, and it’s being done illegally. Those guys are developing players, and all of a sudden their guys, you know, that team shouldn’t have an advantage, financially, to be able to take care of a guy that another school doesn’t, and it’s wrong.

“I’ve had multiple discussions with players I’ve had, teams calling them and offering money. ‘I’ve got NIL, I’ve got this offer here, I’ve got this,’ and you’ve got to sit down with them, their parents and go through it all. Power 4, within our own league, with the things that go on. I thought, really, when NIL came in, we thought it would be good, because some of this — there were teams that were doing NIL before NIL was popular, OK? I thought NIL would at least make it fair, take the cheating out of ball. It’s made it worse.”

Fisher appears on Off Campus with EJ Manuel and Jacob Hester every Tuesday from 3-6 p.m. on SiriusXM’s College Sports channel.

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How the No. 24 Texas A&M football team defense can stop Arkansas in the Southwest Classic

The Aggies are heading 200 miles north to Arlington for their second SEC matchup of the season on Saturday against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium.

The Texas A&M football team is heading 200 miles north to Arlington this weekend for its second SEC matchup of the season on Saturday afternoon against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium.

The No. 24 Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC) will need a strong effort from their defense versus the Razorbacks (3-1, 1-0) to remain unbeaten in conference action. Texas A&M beat Arkansas 34-22 in the 2023 Southwest Classic.

A duo of upperclassmen defensive linemen with the same name, senior Shemar Turner and junior Shemar Stewart, each recorded a sack last week during a 26-20 victory against Bowling Green at Kyle Field. Aggies head coach Mike Elko and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will be looking for similar production from the Shemar pairing on Saturday at Jerry’s World.

Texas A&M will be facing a familiar foe on the opposing sideline, Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who was the OC and quarterbacks coach in College Station under former head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Experienced Aggies like Stewart and Turner should have an advantage versus junior QB Taylen Green after practicing against Petrino’s playbook in 2023.

Texas A&M battles Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Former Texas A&M head coach opens up on NIL and the Aggie’s previous budget

Jimbo Fisher won’t commit a return to coaching unless the NIL landscape establishes equal footing

Former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is back in the news after his Monday night appearance at the Little Rock (AR) Touchdown Club. He discussed many topics, including a potential return to coaching and the ever-changing NIL landscape.

For those who may have forgotten, Fisher was fired from Texas A&M just a day after the Aggies’ 51-10 win over Mississippi State with just two games left on the 2023 schedule. This resulted in a record-setting $76 million buyout that the University will pay for the next decade.

Nowadays, Fisher is focused on spending time with his family while hunting as much as time permits, knowing that the game will always be there if a return is in the cards.

However, Fisher can’t understand the current NIL structure. He notes that the unequal footing among the larger and smaller conferences could get out of control, as next year’s revenue-sharing introduction could exceed $22 million for larger programs in the SEC and Big Ten. Speaking with CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello, Fisher had some strong opinions about the future of CFB.

“People don’t realize that Alabama, Georgia and all of them ain’t got that money,” Fisher stated to CBS Sports. “They’re not like Ohio State, Texas. There’s a difference within your own conference, in my opinion. Maybe you make it $16 (million) or $18 (million) so the other mid-level schools have a chance. I just hate taking the Big 12 out of this, the ACC. I mean, it’s crazy to me. You think of the national championship between Miami, FSU, Clemson  … it’s still a shame to me.”

However, concerning Texas A&M’s budget after the program landed the highest-rated 2022 recruiting class in 247Sports history, Fisher referenced the previous BroBible accusation that Texas A&M’s 2022-2023 collective was working with over $35 Million, revealing that the number was nowhere near that astronomical value.

Fisher further explained to CBS Sports that during the 2022-2023 season, all 20 Texas A&M Athletic programs were working with under $1 million, which led to a flurry of phone calls from players and their family members.

“‘Where’s my money?'” was the general question, he said. “Why I came out and went against it as much as anything was because families were calling and saying, ‘Coach, I wasn’t bought.’ It was the families of the kids they were talking about. You don’t think about that avenue of it because they kept getting questions, too. That’s why I made the statements I made.”

Like him or not, you have to respect Fisher’s brutal honesty. As the NIL landscape will no doubt continue to create chaos if more regulations don’t come into play, Fisher feels that College Football should adopt the NFL structure if things continue down the same road.

“Here’s what bothers me,” he stated “No one has stepped up and watnt do do what’s right for college football. There needs to be a commissioner.”

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ESPN insider Pete Thamel believes ‘toughness and discipline’ is key for Aggies this season

“I really think if Elko brings the fundamentals back and combines that with the talent, Texas A&M is going to be stout on Saturday night.”

Two years ago, Texas A&M secured the highest-rated recruiting class of the modern era. Yet, the Jimbo Fisher era in College Station proved to be a complete and utter failure because the program didn’t have structure.

The Aggies do now under new head coach Mike Elko, which ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel pointed out Wednesday on “College Football Live.”

“What Texas A&M fans want to see on this year’s team compared to recent editions is toughness and discipline,” Thamel proclaimed. “If Mike Elko has a hallmark from his two years as the head coach at Duke and then his time as a coordinator at Notre Dame, Wake Forest, you can go back to Hofstra and even his time as an assistant at Merchant Marine Academy. The sum was always greater than the parts.

“Look, the parts are pretty good right now at Texas A&M. They have one of the best defensive lines in the country. There has not been a lack of talent at Texas A&M, there’s been a lack of execution (and) discipline. I really think if Mike Elko brings the fundamentals back and combines that with the talent, Texas A&M is going to be stout on Saturday night.”

No. 20 Texas A&M officially kicks off the season on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT against No. 7 Notre Dame at Kyle Field on ABC and ESPN+.

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‘Still young enough’ former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher ready for ‘right opportunities’

“I’m still young enough that I’m gonna be ready to roll pretty soon… We’ll see when the season ends if the right opportunities are there.”

Members of the 12th Man need to brace themselves because John James Fisher has reemerged once again.

The former Texas A&M football head coach known as “Jimbo” made an appearance Monday on ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike” with guest hosts Peter Burns and and Courtney Cronin.