It grew over time from a rumor to a earth-shaking headline.
The 2017 season was a complete disaster for the Florida State Seminoles. They started the season preseason #3 in the AP rankings and saw their redshirt sophomore starting quarterback, Deondre Francois, suffer a patella tendon injury in the season opener against Alabama that shelved him for the season. Then the Seminoles were derailed during the season by Mother Nature as Hurricane Irma altered the second game of the season and left the team not playing for 21 days. They started the campaign 0-2 after a home loss to North Carolina State and were 1-3 after a game-winning drive by Miami. Now the team, which is still loaded with 4-, 5-star recruits, is standing at 5-6 going into the last game of the season on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. A game that now former head coach Jimbo Fisher will not coach.
This will be the first season since 2011 (Fisher’s first year in Tallahassee) that the Seminoles fail to reach double-digit wins.
It is no secret that Fisher has been a very flirtatious coach the past few seasons despite his consistent success with the Florida State program. The rumors of Fisher departing for the University of Texas and LSU the past couple of seasons were constantly brewing and left a few Florida State fans with sweaty palms.
So here comes Texas A&M, fresh off firing Kevin Sumlin after six seasons and 51 wins on the job. For the Aggies, making a hire
is more than just “making a hire”. It’s about one-upping instate rivals. The Texas Longhorns turned heads this past offseason with the hire of Tom Herman. Attempting to pull off a heist such as luring Fisher to College Station, Texas was going to take several large money bags and probably a money truck as well. How does a 10-year deal reportedly worth $75 million dollars sound?
That type of contract will make Fisher the third-highest coach in college football behind Alabama’s Nick Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. It is also about a $2 million dollar raise for Fisher. After 11 seasons in Tallahassee with eight of them as head coach, Fisher departs one proud university for one trying to elbow it’s way in a crowded SEC room.
To make matters worse for the Seminoles program, players and fan base, Fisher reportedly left the school without personally addressing the players of his departure. For many, that can appear to be a total lack of disrespect. Me personally, I feel it is necessary to do so. Only because it was the players who went to bat for him and the university every Saturday. Nonetheless, Fisher deciding to head to the Lone Star state left a sour taste in the mouths of those tied to Florida State.
No call, no text, you could of said something …
— Deondre Francois™ (@_Dirtie12) December 1, 2017
As for the Texas A&M Aggies and their current state, they get their guy who is often identified as a top ten, possibly top five head coach in college football. Even in a division with Alabama, LSU, and Auburn, the excuses cannot mount after making a move such as this. Again, it’s more than just a hire. This is a move that can seismically alter the Aggie program or it can be one that can prove to be a costly gamble. The pressure is on for Fisher as well. He now has to prove himself in what many call the best conference in college football. Fisher guided the Seminoles to a National Championship, three ACC titles and 83 wins while at the helm. Now, in a place where the crowd is well-respected and the magic of Johnny Manziel is still fresh on the minds of the locals, the expectations are now jumbo with Jimbo.
