Could Former Texas A&M Aggies Coach Jimbo Fisher Head to Big 12?

Former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher is still out of a job.

Zach Dimmitt | Dec 2, 2024

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-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher is still looking for a new job after being fired last year, but he's made it clear that he's not opposed to heading back to his home state. Could that soon become a reality?

The West Virginia Mountaineers fired head coach Neal Brown after six seasons Sunday, and Fisher, a Clarksburg, W.V. native, has been named by ESPN as a potential candidate to watch to replace him. In a 2022 interview with WDTV News 5 while he was with Texas A&M, Fisher said "home is home" when asked if he'd ever consider coaching at WVU.

“You don’t ever say never in this business. Home is home," Fisher told WDTV News 5 in 2022. "I love West Virginia and it’s very near and dear to my heart. I love them and have always rooted for them my whole life. You never say never in this business where it takes you. I’m happy where I’m at and I love where I’m at, but home is home. ... “I love the people there. I love my hometown. I still have family there, a lot of great friends there. I try to get home as much as I can.”

Texas A&M fired Fisher on Nov. 12, 2023. He received $77.5 million as a buyout, the largest of its kind in college football history. A National Championship winner with Florida State, Fisher was expected to brings titles to College Station but instead finished with a 45-25 record after six seasons with the Aggies.

Here's part of what ESPN's Adam Rittenberg had to say about including Fisher as a potential candidate to keep eyes on:

"He's out of coaching and sitting on a historic pile of buyout money, but Fisher likely will find his way back to the sideline. The Clarksburg, West Virginia, native could return home and bring national championship credentials and buzz to WVU," Rittenberg wrote.

The Aggies have moved on well from Fisher. The program showed major strides in the first season under Mike Elko, who had Texas A&M a game shy of an SEC Championship appearance before Saturday's 17-7 loss to Texas.

The Aggies will now look to secure a 9-4 season once they decide which bowl they're headed to. As for Fisher, this probably won't be the last time his name is brought up in the WVU coaching search.