Tag: Jimbo Fisher

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.

Alabama DL LT Overton feels he was underutilzed during his time at Texas A&M

LT Overton’s Aggie career was relatively forgettable, but his collegiate story may just be starting at Alabama

It’s always interesting to keep tabs on former players’ progress once they transfer from a program, and when looking back at Texas A&M’s historic 2022 recruiting class, most of the former commits have left, including former 5-star defensive lineman LT Overton.

Coming out of the high school ranks as a feared pass rusher with elite positional versatility. Still, after two seasons with Texas A&M, Overton only recorded 48 tackles and one sack, entering the transfer portal just weeks after former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s dismissal.

Finding his new home with Alabama for the 2024 season and beyond, Overton hopes to follow in the footsteps of a long line of elite pass rushers, reportedly switching to the “bandit” position in the defensive coordinator Kane Wommack scheme.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Overton did not hold back regarding his time with the Aggies, stating that former A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin failed to utilize his strengths while his 245 playing weight.

“I feel like I wasn’t really used to my best ability at A&M,” Overton told reporters. “I was dropping on most plays, but now I am mostly a hand-down person. Now, I can use my abilities to the best. My pass-rushing game is 10 times better since I came here.”

Last season, Texas A&M’s defensive line depth chart was littered with pass rushers, as Durkin and Fisher likely felt that to get Overton on the field more often, attempting to mold him into an outside linebacker hybrid was the goal that never panned out.

Adding nearly 40 pounds since arriving, Overton is playing at 284 after arriving at Texas A&M weighing 280 pounds, so it’s not a surprise that Alabama is a better fit to utilize his talents this season.

However, under new head coach Mike Elko, I wouldn’t be surprised if the same positional change would occur with the Aggies if he had stayed.

For the first time since Texas A&M entered the SEC in 2012, the Aggies will not face the Crimson Tide for the first time in more than a decade but will likely meet within the next two seasons.

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Former Texas A&M O-line coach Steve Addazio will enter the broadcasting booth

Former Texas A&M O-line coach Steve Addazio will head to the broadcast booth as an ESPN college football analyst this coming season.

With Texas A&M’s 2024 campaign just four weeks away, Aggie fans will hear a familiar name in the broadcast booth this season. Former offensive line coach Steve Addazio has accepted a position with ESPN as a college football analyst for select games on the network.

Addazio’s coaching history is vast and fascinating. Those who remember the Florida Gators dynasty under Urban Meyer include the fiery Addazio roaming the sidelines from 2005-2010, winning two BCS National Championships while serving as the program’s TE coach, O-line coach, and offensive coordinator before departing for his first head coaching position.

After two seasons at Temple, Addazio spent seven seasons at Boston College before his firing. After two unsuccessful seasons at Colorado State, former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher hired Addazio as the program’s O-line coach before the Aggies’ disastrous 2022 season.

Known for his recruiting prowess and development history after sending several Boston College offensive linemen to the NFL, many of us thought this was the right hire due to the talent and experience on the roster.

However, the veteran assistant failed to develop several starters to their full potential, including former starting center Bryce Foster, who transferred to Kansas this offseason. Even more surprising, current New England Patriots guard Layden Robinson was the only A&M O-line draft pick during his short tenure. Addazio was not retained under Mike Elko’s staff, and was replaced by current A&M O-line coach Adam Cushing.

Steve Addazio may have found his new career by bringing a ton of coaching experience and stories to the booth. In Week 1 of the 2024 season, Addazio will be paired with play-by-play broadcaster Clay Matvick in an undisclosed matchup.

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‘He’s going to become a star at A&M,’ CBS Sports host is ‘bullish’ about Aggies coach Elko

“Jimbo is announcing he’s a national championship winning coach while Mike Elko’s resume is still yet to be written in College Station.”

When you look at the list of head coaches most likely to breakout this season, Mike Elko is near the top entering his first year at the helm of Texas A&M.

CBS Sports college football commentator Josh Pate echoed those sentiments in a recent conversation with TexAgs.

“When you get feedback about how organized, how attention to detail oriented the process is there, how thorough the evaluation is in going and acquiring talent. It had to be that way at Duke so it’s just that way now with a ton more resources. When you get all that, how are you not bullish on it? I don’t care that maybe Mike Elko’s name didn’t dominate the headlines,” Pate said. “Because when DeBoer came into ‘Bama, that was like a fish’s tail muddying up the water, no one was going to notice them hiring anything less than a superstar head coach.

“They may have hired a superstar head coach, it’s just he’s going to become a star at A&M instead of having already been one, which is the inverse of the way that they went last time. Jimbo is announcing he’s a national championship winning head coach while Mike Elko’s resume is still yet to be written in College Station. If you know what you’re looking at in this game, I’m not sure how you’re not bullish.”

Elko will speak at SEC media days in Dallas on Thursday at 11:05 a.m.

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