No. 4 AP ranking tremendous step, but it remains long way to Tide level
COLLEGE STATION — Paul “Bear” Bryant had books penned about his colorful Texas A&M tenure in the 1950s. Gene Stallings led the underdog Aggies to a surprising Southwest Conference title in 1967. Jackie Sherill ramrodded the Aggies, who hadn’t won a league title since ’67, to three straight SWC crowns in the 1980s.
R.C. Slocum won more games than any A&M coach from 19892002, along with three straight SWC titles of his own in the early 1990s and a Big 12 championship to boot in 1998. Kevin Sumlin beat mighty Alabama in his first try in 2012, when the Aggies joined the almost-as-mighty
Southeastern Conference.
None of those coaches, however, managed what Jimbo Fisher did in his third season at A&M: a top-four finish in the Associated Press poll. The Aggies ranked No. 4 in the final 2020 rankings released late Monday night, their highest close since winning the national title in 1939 under Homer Norton.
“They achieved, they persevered, they played the next play,” Fisher said of the Aggies, who finished 9-1 with a 41-27 victory over North Carolina in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2. “They put everything behind them. When they got tired (against the Tar Heels) and we were behind, it didn’t matter what happened (before).
“It’s what happens from here on out, and they handled that.”
On the “what happens from here on out” front, Alabama and one of Fisher’s mentors, Nick
I think it’d be great for the for the state of Texas. Would look forward to it.”
On what he’s taken from former bosses like Alabama’s Nick Saban and former USC coach Pete Carroll (2001-09):
“I think the one thing with coach Carroll and coach Saban, I think the end result is very clear. They both want to win. They both want to develop young men into grown men. I think they have the best interests of their players at heart. But the one lesson I got out of it was they did it their own way.
“We all see Pete Carroll on the sidelines, the fun, energetic, upbeat personality that he has. And then we all see Nick Saban on the sidelines and the stern focus and drive that he has, both of which work, right?
“What I got out of it was, you gotta know who you are. You gotta have a belief in who you are, and you have to stick to your beliefs, neither of which wavered for those guys. I think it took them some time to figure it out who they were. Clearly, I’ve had that time to do that.”
On mixing Tom Herman assistant coaches, like running backs coach Stan Drayton and wideouts coach Andre Coleman, with new hires: “I think, generally speaking, anytime there’s a coaching change there’s mixed emotions for players on a roster. Some feel one way; some feel another way. My job coming in now is to make sure we’re assembling a staff that has the best interests of our players at heart. And we’ll clearly convey that to the players of why we did what we did with our staff and the direction that we went in. It is truly for the betterment of them, at least in our opinion.
“I think assembling the staff is like forming a jigsaw puzzle and there’s intricate pieces that need to get put in place. There’s a balance to it. I think the guys that we’re gonna hold over fit to what I’m looking for. And ultimately, we aren’t going to view anybody as he’s from the old staff, these guys are from the new staff. We are the current staff. And I think our players need to view it that way.”
On recruiting and his message to Texas high school football coaches:
“To the high school coaches in the state of Texas, this is your program. Our doors are always open. I’ve so much respect for the high school football in the state of Texas. To get back to the top of college football, we need to keep the best players in the state of Texas home. And that’ll be the priority when it comes to recruiting.”