Although the 2023 College Football Season is still months away the truth is that the news cycle never stops in today’s media landscape. From way-too-early title predictions to preseason power rankings, the best time to fire off takes is well before Week 1. Make no mistake, college football coaches are by no means impervious to the chatter.
As is tradition before the fall season, The Athletic‘s Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman both unveiled their Top 25 College Football Coach lists for this year. As the saying goes, “great minds think alike,” and their synergy was on full display after both named Nick Saban as the consensus No. 1.
But as we enter what should be an entertaining season nonetheless for Texas A&M, where did head coach Jimbo Fisher land on their respective rankings?
In the eyes of Mandel, it’s clear that last season’s performance dealt a blow to Fisher’s stock, with the Aggies’ coach clocking in at No. 23. For reference, that’s below new Auburn Head coach Hugh Freeze (No. 22) and Ole Miss Head coach Lane Kiffin (No. 19).
Feldman proved to be a bit more favorable in his rankings, but Fisher took a dive nonetheless. After being listed as No. 7 a year ago, Feldman has him as the No. 17 coach for 2023, which puts him behind the likes of new Nebraska Head coach Matt Rhule (No. 15) and UCLA’s Chip Kelly (No. 14).
It’s clear that Fisher’s struggles since arriving at College Station have yet to justify the amount of money Texas A&M is throwing his way. But Feldman was also quick to note the coach’s underwhelming track record since before joining the Aggies:
Fisher’s on his sixth season in College Station and really only has one good year to show for it: a 9-1 record during the pandemic in 2020. Outside of that, his record in the SEC is 15-17. If you consider his last year at FSU, when his team went 5-6 and 3-5 in the ACC before his departure, that’s one good year out of his last six.
As Fisher helms this football program for the coming season his seat will be as warm as ever, but Feldman did note that handing Bobby Petrino the keys to the offense may give a vital spark to the Aggies offense. Despite the noise surrounding the hire, you can’t argue against Petrino’s knack for getting the most out of his quarterbacks.
The only way for Fisher to quiet the noise and make that seat a bit cooler is to respond with a bounce-back 2023 season. His recruiting prowess still makes him a top name in the college football landscape, but the success of this season will be a huge factor in determining the long-term future of Fisher in College Station.
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