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Dan Mullen breaks down weakness in Jimbo Fisher’s offensive system, fit with Bobby Petrino
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Dan Mullen appeared on the Matt Barrie Show this week to discuss a number of SEC-related topics, including the future at Texas A&M.
The Aggies brought in offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino this offseason, but Jimbo Fisher was non-committal earlier this week when asked about who would call plays in 2023.
Mullen gave Fisher some praise, but also pointed out a key flaw in his approach that has been exposed in recent years.
“I think Jimbo in a lot of ways has had a great system, but people have gotten on him about his ability to mix-and-match the system to the personnel he has,” Mullen said. “I think if there’s one thing that you have to understand as a coach, it’s that your system has to be big enough to sway with the personnel that you have. It can’t be rigid.”
Mullen said it’s possible that both Fisher and Petrino could each call plays if they’re flexible and working well together. Mullen cited similar play-calling relationships that he had in his career with coaches like Urban Meyer and Brian Johnson.
The key factor will be how Fisher and Petrino work together on game days, Mullen said.
“If they’re melding on a really great level working together, I think it could be unbelievable,” Mullen added. “Because you have 2 great minds feeding off of each other.
“If the system doesn’t fit together and Bobby wants to run ‘these plays’ and Jimbo wants to run ‘these plays over here,’ now you’re completely bi-polar and it’s a complete mess.”
Texas A&M averaged just 5.73 yards per play last season, which ranked 9th in the SEC. The Aggies are hoping to take a big step forward offensively in 2023.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
