Cessna: Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher blocks out outside pressure, but knows it's there

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s a good thing Jimbo Fisher isn’t feeling any added pressure, because it’s certainly there.
Fisher since getting an extension and raise on his initial 10-year, $75-million contract, has gone 13-11 with no bowl appearances. There’s about 77 million reasons why he needs to have a good season.
“We live under pressure every day,” Fisher said Monday at the 2023 Southeastern Conference Media Days. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anybody out there ever puts on us, so there’s no added pressure because what good does that do? Does worrying make you any better? No.”
Fisher helped kick off the SEC Media Days at the Nashville Grand Hyatt. The four-day event showcasing the nation’s best conference signifies that the start of the season is just around the corner. It can be such a fun time. Coaches can brag on their team’s accomplishments if you’re Georgia’s Kirby Smart who has won back-to-back national championships or if you’re LSU’s Brian Kelly who in his first year with the Tigers went 10-4 and won the SEC West.
Several other coaches will reflect on last year’s season that ended with a bowl trip, painting even a brighter picture for this season. Even some of the so-called “losers” will act like winners. Auburn didn’t go to a bowl game last year, but the Tigers are excited about first-year head coach Hugh Freeze. He won big at Ole Miss and the Auburn faithful expect even more success with the resources they can afford Freeze.
Then there’s Fisher and A&M. The Aggies had high hopes the past two seasons, only to fall woefully short of the preseason expectations that had A&M ranked sixth in the country both times.
The Aggies finished 8-4 in 2021, not able to play in the Gator Bowl because of COVID-19 related issues, season-ending injuries and players transferring. A&M tumbled to 5-7 last season, despite have four straight top-10 recruiting classes including the 2022 class that was the nation’s best. Fisher, who won a national championship in 2013, is coming off his worst season since being elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach at Florida State in 2010.
He is on the hot seat. He came here to win championships, not finish sixth in the SEC West.
“Not having success motivates me more [on my own],” Fisher said. “Coaches put more pressure [on themselves] and are more competitive than anybody else out there that does it. What you say, how you say it, that doesn’t affect [us]. We don’t listen to it. We know what we have to do and how we have to do it.”
What Fisher has to do is improve an offense that has struggled mightily the last two years. What’s made A&M’s struggles on offense tougher on Fisher is that’s his baby. He made a home-run hire with former NFL and Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, but the big debate is will the two mesh and will Petrino really call the plays.
“I’m not going to get into what we’re doing, how we’re doing it,” Fisher said “Again, I’m not trying to avoid anything.”
It was a typical answer for Fisher since adding Petrino, which leads to speculation. So, will Petrino call the plays?
“He’ll call a lot of – hopefully he’ll call the game,” Fisher said. “We’ll have suggestions on things we do, whether it’s offense or defense. Every coach is always involved.”
It also was a collective thing last year, but it seemed the other offensive coaches just gave suggestions, while Fisher called the plays. Petrino, who hasn’t been an assistant in more than 20 years, came here to do more than make suggestions, you’d think.
“When you get to calling and you get on a roll, you’ve got to have a guy that can do it, and I think Bobby can definitely do that, and does it as well as anybody in college football,” Fisher said.
Fisher’s reaction to giving up play-calling duties differ from Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz who hired Kirby Moore as offensive coordinator in the offseason.
“I do not plan on calling plays,” Drinkwitz said Monday. “I plan on being involved on the offensive side of the ball just like I am on special teams and on the defensive side of the ball as the CEO of the organization.”
Drinkwitz, though, is 29-20 as a coach, including 17-19 at Missouri. He hired an offensive coordinator who isn’t as well known as his brother, Kellen Moore. He’s not on the hot seat. He’s at Missouri.
Fisher is 122-44. He’s won three conference championships in addition to the national championship. Some of his assistants have better credentials than Drinkwitz.
Petrino joins a staff that already included former head coaches in defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and offensive line coach Steve Addazio, which led to a loaded question during Monday’s press conference.
“Jimbo, you got several former head coaches on your staff, Bobby Petrino being the latest you’ve brought in,” the person said. “[You have] a lot of very up-front personalities. How do you deal with that in the coaching staff room when a lot of people – a lot of us, including myself, wonder how that’s all going to work out if it gets into a volatile situation.”
Fisher rightfully shot holes in that question.
“Volatile?” Fisher said.
“Why would it be in a volatile situation?” Fisher said. “As coaches – have you ever been in any staff room that doesn’t have arguments or disagreements? Every coaching staff in America has an argument or a disagreement. That’s part of it.”
Fisher said at the end of the day, he’s the boss. He’ll listen to opinions from people he respects. He’ll let them do their job and then he’ll do his job. Many believe if Fisher gets out of Petrino’s way, that’ll be a big step toward a banner season.
The bottom line is Fisher has to make the right choice in regards to the offense, because the pressure is mounting.