Veteran college/NFL scout explains how Jimbo Fisher came to work for Nick Saban at LSU
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The relationship between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher has certainly soured in recent weeks after a war of words took place in the public sphere.
But, there was a time when the two coaches were very successful working together. With Saban as head coach and Fisher as the offensive coordinator, the LSU Tigers won the national title in 2003.
On Wednesday, longtime college and NFL scout Chris Landry joined “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on WJOX and discussed how Fisher made his way to Baton Rouge:
Veteran college/NFL scout & coach Chris Landry (@landryfootball) stopped by @MacandCube to share a story about the time he recommended Jimbo Fisher to Nick Saban while he was the head coach at LSU.
Catch the whole conversation with Chris here: https://t.co/5NEOIzKq7R pic.twitter.com/DPWHmu2LXp
— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) June 1, 2022
“I go back with both of them a long time,” Landry said. “Obviously, Saban and I were on (Bill) Belichick’s staff in Cleveland. One of the reasons I worked hard to try to get (Saban) the job at LSU or get the folks at LSU to hire him was Saban was so organized, even as an assistant, the defensive coordinator. He was a head coach in waiting even when he was an assistant. …
“We actually put together a scouting form, just like we do when we’re grading players, we graded coaches. … He gets the job at LSU and needs a coordinator. He asked me about a guy who was working for Rick Minter at Cincinnati. I don’t know if they played them at Michigan State, or just saw it through exchange tape. Jimbo was a guy who came from the Bowden tree, with Terry in particular, and Tommy. He was an up-and-coming guy. (Saban) asked me about him and I certainly liked him and thought he was really good. The rest is history. …
“I think the biggest thing specifically is, while he worked formations really well and was very creative, he was very physical and run-game oriented, which at that time, before a lot of the rules changed, that was what Nick liked, as opposed to what he’s gravitated to out of necessity now.”
Now, Saban and Fisher are 2 of the biggest-name coaches in college football. And, with their recent public spat, the rivalry between Texas A&M and Alabama just got a lot more intense.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
