Paul Finebaum predicts when Texas A&M could make a move on Jimbo Fisher
It hasn’t been the season anyone expected Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M to have, and the heat could get turned up on the Aggies coach in the near future.
At least that’s what Heather Dinich and Paul Finebaum of ESPN believe. Speaking about Fisher’s job security moving forward, the duo believes that while his buyout is massive, Texas A&M won’t be as patient as we think with their coach.
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“Record-wise, Jimbo is exactly where Kevin Sumlin was through the same amount of games, which is not good,” stated Dinich. “Look, Jimbo’s got a nice, fat, lucrative contract. I’m certainly not going to say he’s on the hot seat right now, but in the public perception, in the court of public opinion, he’s got to pick it up. He’s got to close the gap. This is what he was hired to do, close the gap with Nick Saban. Period.
“He beat him last year, but wasn’t able to do anything with it because he lost all these other games. So I think that the spotlight is squarely on him.”
While Dinich believes Fisher’s seat could get warmer with a loss to Alabama this weekend, Finebaum squarely stated that if the gap doesn’t begin to close as soon as this season, Texas A&M will have no problem looking elsewhere.
“Heather may not say it but I will, you can be on the hot seat and not be in danger of losing your job, if there’s some sense to that, which I’m not sure there is. He is the most talked about coach in college football right now, because he’s vastly and woefully underperforming,” stated Finebaum. “Yes, it costs $85 million to buy him out, what a great deal that was by the athletic director of Texas A&M, but I still think it’s possible. I don’t think it’s possible this year, no matter what happens, and this isn’t going to be a successful season, but next year, the pressure is on. Don’t forget, A&M started this season No. 6 in the country, and they’re going to struggle the rest of the way, especially Saturday night.
“Next year, if Jimbo Fisher doesn’t start to win, that $85 million won’t be tough for those Texas oil tycoons to come up with.”
A second consecutive victory over Nick Saban and Alabama could go a long way for Jimbo Fisher, but that’s a tall ask considering the way the Aggies have looked in 2022. Still, it may be the one thing that can restore the Aggies fan’s confidence in their head coach.