Jimbo Fisher Eyeing Return to Coaching in 2025

Former Texas A&M Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is eyeing a return to the sidelines in 2025
Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher reacts  during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher reacts during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Texas A&M Aggies began a new era in November when they fired former head coach Jimbo Fisher following a win over Mississippi State.

Later that month, they brought in new head coach Mike Elko from Duke, who has transformed the program and its culture since arriving in Aggieland.

Fisher, meanwhile, remains without a job heading into the 2024 season.

However, according to a recent interview with ESPN Radio he is eyeing a return in 2025... should the right opportunity come along.

Fisher
Nov 11, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

“There is only so much you can hunt and fish before you want to get back in,” Fisher said on ESPN Radio. “I’ll be watching a lot of film this year and see if they're the right opportunity for me to get back into it next season”

Of course, there has to be a program out there will to bring on Fisher, despite his rough track record with the Aggies over the last couple of seasons.

Fisher was originally hired by the Aggies in December of 2017 and signed a 10-year $75 million deal to lead the program, with Texas A&M hoping he was the coach to usher them into the elite levels of college football. They now owe him the biggest buyout in the history of the sport at $76 million

The Aggies even doubled down on Fisher in 2021, signing him to an extension through 2031 that would pay him $9 million annually.

Instead, in six seasons Fisher's program - despite an elite recruiting effort - was mediocre at best, going 45-25 overall and 27-21 in SEC play. The Aggies also never won more than nine games during his tenure.

In 2022, the Aggies went 5-7 under Fisher, which was the worst regular season for the program since they went 4-8 under Dennis Franchione in 2003.

At the time of his firing, Fisher had the Aggies at 6-4 and 4-3 in the SEC, with losses to Miami, Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss


Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.