A&M's Fisher excited to be back in the SEC again
‘It’s like a reunion,’ Aggies’ new coach says at conference’s spring meetings.
Jimbo Fisher made his name not too far away but decided in December it was time to move on.
The former Florida State head coach returned to the Florida Panhandle this week for the Southeastern Conference spring meetings facing his biggest challenge to date.
Fisher left one of the nation’s most established programs and an Atlantic Coast Conference heavyweight for a record-setting contract and the chance to turn Texas A&M from a sleeping giant into an SEC title contender.
This week was a homecoming of sorts for Fisher, who coached in the SEC for 13 seasons as an assistant before leaving for FSU.
“I spent so much time in this league and feel like I know so many people here,” Fisher told reporters. “When I walk in a room, it’s like a reunion with all the guys you coached with. Happy, excited.
“It’s going to be very challenging, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Fisher inherits some of the nation’s best facilities, but A&M’s rabid fan base and talented roster and the state’s fertile recruiting ground are simi-
lar to what he had in Tallahassee, Fla.
A 10-year, $75 million contract gives the 52-year-old coach substantial job security. But he now must navigate the SEC West — college football’s toughest division and home to Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide.
Fisher spent six seasons at Auburn coaching quarterbacks and had a one-year stint as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati before he was hired by Saban at LSU in 2000.
Fisher left after the 2006 season, and Saban returned to the SEC as Alabama’s coach a year later.
LSU tried to lure Fisher back to the SEC in 2016, but he stayed at FSU for one more season.
Texas A&M was not even an SEC member when Fisher coached in the league. The Aggies have not finished higher than fourth place in the West Division except in 2012, when A&M tied for second place and Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy.
Fisher inherits a team with 15 returning starters and a pool of talent many believe former coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff failed to maximize.
Fisher knows he faces a tall order, noting that SEC competition and commitment are without peer.
“It’s such a great conference,” Fisher said. “I grew up in the conference. I have tremendous respect for it. I know how challenging it is.
“One thing about the SEC, it’s prioritized, and they’re going to do the best they can possibly do and be the best they can possibly be.”