Jimbo Fisher Sounds Off on "Cheating" and Unfairness in NIL

Former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher criticizes NIL deals, player tampering, and the lack of oversight in college football.

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

While currently taking a step away from coaching, Jimbo Fisher hasn’t stayed silent about his concerns over the current trajectory of college football.

During a recent SiriusXM interview, the former Texas A&M Aggies head coach didn’t hold back, particularly when discussing NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and player tampering, issues which he believes are threatening the integrity of the sport.

Despite being dismissed from his role last season, Fisher’s passion for college football is unmistakable.

He’s been vocal about the need for national-level regulations, criticizing the fragmented approach that currently governs the sport.

According to Fisher, the inconsistent rules across schools and conferences have made an already complicated landscape even harder to navigate. In his view, the sport desperately needs oversight.

"I complain about it, it's still the greatest game."

Jimbo Fisher tells @JacobHester18 & @EJManuel3 that the game he loves needs some serious help setting rules and regulations.

Coach Jimbo Fisher joins #OffCampus every Tuesday from 3-6p ET.https://t.co/LYQpiBFfOz pic.twitter.com/c7aZunpmYd

— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) October 4, 2024

“I’ve had multiple discussions with players I’ve had, teams calling them and offering money,” he told College Sports on SiriusXM in a recent interview. “‘I’ve got this offer here, I’ve got this,’ and you’ve got to sit down with them, their parents and go through it all. Power 4, within our own league, with the things that go on. I thought, really, when NIL came in, we thought it would be good, because some of this — there were teams that were doing NIL before NIL was popular, OK? … I thought NIL would at least make it fair, take the cheating out of ball. It’s made it worse.”

“We need revenue sharing. We need a salary cap for all schools,” Fisher continued. His harshest criticism was reserved for tampering, where powerhouse programs lure players from smaller schools with attractive NIL deals, drawing them away from their original commitments. 

“The big schools are going and getting players constantly from other schools, and it’s being done illegally," he explained.

Fisher also weighed in on the broader issues surrounding NIL. While the concept was meant to fairly compensate athletes for their name, image, and likeness, Fisher believes it has turned into something far more damaging.

Instead of fostering fairness, NIL has created a bidding war, with top athletes chasing the highest offers, leaving smaller schools scrambling to keep up.

“It’s made the cheating worse,” Fisher remarked, pointing out many programs were already bending the rules before NIL was ever introduced.

Even as Fisher steps away from the day-to-day grind of coaching, his voice still carries weight in the ongoing debates about the future of college football.

His calls for a commissioner and revenue sharing reflect a growing consensus among those who believe the current system is deeply flawed.

While his future in the sport remains unclear, Jimbo Fisher has made one thing obvious: college football needs to change, and soon, if it hopes to survive the mounting challenges it faces.