Jimbo Fisher says leaving Florida State was hardest decision of his life: ‘I did not ever want to leave’
Published:
Jimbo Fisher said on a recent podcast appearance that his decision to leave Florida State and take the Texas A&M job after the 2017 season was the hardest decision he has ever made.
The former Aggie head coach was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He played quarterback at Samford University. But he says he has loved Florida State since he was a child. He turned down a spot on staff with Nick Saban at Alabama to join Bobby Bowden in Tallahassee as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator.
Two years later, Fisher replaced Bowden as head coach. In 8 years atop the program, Fisher went 83-23. He won a BCS National Championship in 2013, led Florida State to the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014, and won 3 ACC titles.
“Most difficult thing I’ve ever done. (I) never wanted to go,” Fisher said this week on the TRIALS to TRIUMPH podcast with former Florida State fullback Freddie Stevenson. “And, listen, I loved A&M. And we had great success. I mean, the last couple years we didn’t, but that run we had there (early) and I don’t mean that in anything there. I did not ever want to leave.”
Jimbo Fisher went 45-25 in 6 years with Texas A&M before the Aggies made an incredibly expensive decision to part ways in 2023. His tenure began with promise and ended with frustration.
A&M won 9 games in its first season under Fisher. He won 8 games the next year and then led A&M to a 9-1 season in 2020. The Aggies finished fifth in the CFP rankings that season, narrowly missing out on the 4-team field. He went just 19-15 over his 3 years with the program.
He has yet to make a return to coaching. Not that he really needs to. A&M agreed to pay him the largest buyout in the history of college football when it decided to move on.
Fisher was careful during his podcast appearance not to throw dirt on the Florida State administration he walked away from. Plenty has been reported about the culture Fisher let grow over his final few seasons at FSU. Fisher told Stevenson that he left because he saw a bleak future in the ACC and didn’t think FSU was proactive enough.
“I just knew… It’s kind of the situation the ACC is in now. I saw those things and tried to get us to get ahead of that a little bit. We never wanted anything for ourselves. I wanted more stuff for our staff and players, and some more facilities because I knew where the game was going and where we were putting our money,” Fisher said.
“It just never worked out, and I’m not going to throw anybody under the (bus). Sometimes you do it. But, listen, I grew up a Florida State fan. I loved Florida State. I grew up loving Florida State. The Bowdens were like family to me and I was like family to them. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever, ever done.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
