‘I'm a Teacher First’: Bobby Petrino Imparting Offensive Wisdom on Aggies

Bobby Petrino is back in the saddle and ready for the opportunity to fix Texas A&M's offense entering 2023

COLLEGE STATION -- Bobby Petrino spent years leading the charge on the sidelines during his stints at Arkansas, Western Kentucky and Lousiville. 

Now, he has a new role entering his first season as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator. 

"I'm a teacher most first and foremost," a jovial Petrino said at his introductory press conference Sunday at Kyle Field. "My role is to teach and learn and get to know how [the players] learn, which I'm truly enjoying being in the classroom with the quarterbacks and teaching and being there every day has been a lot of fun."

Petrino, known for his up-tempo offense and vibrant personality in the early stages of his career, has certainly cooled off since his second stint at Louisville. He's a bit older, recently celebrating his 62nd birthday. He's calmer, taking players under his wing and having sensible conversations rather than erupting at the most minuscule mistakes. 

But while Petrino has picked up more so a grandfather temperament rather than a hot-headed persona these days, he's still as sharp as a tack, especially when drawing up offensive concepts. That's what the Aggies are looking for on Saturdays. 

Petrino plans to oblige by giving the folks in College Station something to talk about — good, bad, or indifferent — when he's calling the plays. 

“We work hard on game-planning, and then I get to go out in the game and decide on what play to call,” Petrino said of his play-calling duties. “When they boo and it’s a bad call, that’s my fault.”

The hiring of Petrino at A&M was one of the SEC's bigger offseason storylines. Sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher knew change needed to come to the Aggieland if he were to be the long-term option at the helm, especially after a woeful 5-7 finish. 

Fisher and A&M can point to countless flaws in last season's demise. Quarterback play was insufficient. The offensive line was flooded with a myriad of injuries. A&M's defense regressed under new coordinator D.J. Durkin, primarily against the run.

In retrospect, it was Fisher's offense that led to the worst season for the program since 2008. His concepts, which once drove his rosters to a pair of national titles at LSU and Florida State, had become inept among SEC contenders. Last season, the Aggies averaged 22.8 points per game, 13th among programs in the conference.

Petrino is here to be the ace in the hole, even if Fisher is still running the show. 

“I work for Coach Fisher,” Petrino said. “This is his program. I'm very, very impressed. That's one of the reasons I came here is because of my knowledge of how he runs a program. But it's my job to make sure I'm working hard every day and it's been fun though, I can tell you that it's been really enjoyable just because he's got such a great offensive mind.”

Fisher seems to have relinquished his grip on the play-calling, a first since his days at Auburn. Redshirt junior quarterback Max Johnson said it's Petrino running the meetings. It's Petrino who's calling the plays in practice and putting together the offensive concepts. 

From an outside perspective, it's easy to question if the two hardheaded coaches could get along. Petrino is more of a porcupine with quills that poke more than his lashing tongue. Fisher is a free-range bull that knows one speed, even in the most delicate situations. 

“I mean, you kind of like get a smile on your face and laugh about it,” Petrino said of the outside noise surrounding him and Fisher. “Because it really is not how it works.”

Players so far agree that the two have been more like melting glue than a pair of repelling magnets. 

"They have a great relationship with each other," said Johnson. 

Until plays reach the end zone, the chatter around the Aggies will be on the odd couple's relationship on how to raise the offense. Petrino plans on following the FTS or 'Feed The Studs' philosophy to keep defenses guessing. 

The concept is simple; get the ball in the playmaker's hands and profit. A stable snap, an efficient survey of the field and a quick release is all he's looking for. 

“It’s never, ‘I like this play, and let’s call it and see if it works,’” Petrino said of his offensive approach. “You call plays for players. We’ve got to get all of our weapons in the right spots, and the quarterbacks have to understand that it’s their job to get (playmakers) the ball in good spots, where they can make plays for you.”

Petrino said he enjoyed mentoring up-and-coming players and young coaches during his three-year stay at Missouri State, but he had an "itching" to get back to the SEC. He can thank Fisher for the opportunity to be back where he feels at home. 

How long will he stay? That's potentially out of Fisher's hands. The best way to remain in Aggieland, however, is by putting up the numbers. Similar ones that could mirror his success in Fayetteville, when the Razorback averaged over 30 points per game en route to a combined 22-5 record. 

"We've got the weapons there," said Petrino. "Now we have to get the consistency. We've got to get our guys to make plays and have the competitive spirit that no one is going to stop me." 

That new offense — one hopefully with the consistency and quality competition Petrino is looking for — will be on display come Sept. 2 when the Aggies take on New Mexico at Kyle Field. 

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