Fisher leaves Florida State for Texas A&M
Jimbo Fisher, who coached Florida State to its third national title in 2013 and opened this season with his team ranked in the top five, is leaving to take the same job at Texas A&M.
Fisher told university President John Thrasher on Friday morning that he was resigning to accept Texas A&M's offer.
Fisher leaves Florida State after going 83-23 in eight seasons. Besides the national championship, he also led the Seminoles to three Atlantic Coast Conference titles and four ACC Atlantic Division crowns. He will replace Kevin Sumlin, who was fired last Sunday after going 51-26 in six seasons at Texas A&M.
Fisher is just the fourth head coach to leave a school where he has won an AP national championship and go directly to another college job. The last to do it was Johnny Majors, who went from Pittsburgh to Tennessee in 1977.
Florida State (5-6) faces Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday and needs a win to be bowl eligible for a 36th consecutive season. Defensive line coach Odell Haggins will be the interim coach.
Volunteers get new athletic director
Tennessee has named Phillip Fulmer athletic director and placed former athletic director John Currie on paid leave amid what has been a tumultuous and embarrassing football coaching search.
Chancellor Beverly Davenport said at news conference Friday after the move was announced that Currie had been suspended. She added that Fulmer will be Tennessee's athletic director "for the foreseeable future" and "take the reins of our search."
The Hall of Famer coached the Volunteers to a 1998 national title.
Tennessee fired Butch Jones last month and was close to hiring Ohio State defensive coordinator
Greg Schiano on Sunday as its next coach. That deal fell through amid a public backlash. Currie met Thursday with Washington State coach Mike Leach.
NC State coach gets new contract
North Carolina State's Board of Trustees has approved a new contract for football coach Dave Doeren.
School spokesman Fred Demarest said Friday that the deal is worth $3 million annually over five years.
The approval came a day after the school announced Doeren had agreed to the new deal.
Doeren is 33-30 in five seasons at N.C. State and his 56-34 career record includes two years at Northern Illinois. The Wolfpack (8-4, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 24 CFP) will play in their fourth consecutive bowl and will learn their destination and opponent on Sunday.
Montana retains head coach
Bobby Hauck is back as the football coach at Montana, a program he led to three FCS national championship games.
The university said in a statement Friday that Hauck agreed to a threeyear contract taking him through the 2020 season.