Jimbo Fisher is out at Texas A&M after the head coach was fired with a $76.5 million buyout.
If you're looking for how Athletic Director Ross Bjork and the rest of Aggieland came up with that money, though, you don't need to look any further than halftime of what ended up being Fisher's final game with the program.
During halftime of the win over Mississippi State, the 12th Man Foundation Donors presented Texas A&M with a check for just a hair over $160 million. One day later, Fisher was handed his pink slip. Coincidence or no?
The 12th Man Foundation, which serves as the Aggies' primary NIL fund in addition to making other donations to the program, donating this substantial sum to the university certainly feels related to the coaching decision. One would have to expect that the boosters and donors gave that move their blessing.
Texas A&M celebrated $160M donation one day before firing Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M needed to part ways. The Aggies are likely heading toward a lower-tier bowl game berth this postseason as the most likely outcome (a win over Abilene Christian and a loss to LSU) over the final two weeks would put them at 7-5. For what Fisher has done and for the $95 million contract he signed after 2020, it wasn't nearly good enough.
Fisher's best season came in the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, wherein he lead the Aggies to an Orange Bowl victory and a 9-1 season, one of the first teams out of the College Football Playoff as well.
After securing a historic 2022 recruiting class, the No. 1 class in the country, many college football fans believed Texas A&M could be about to make good on the Fisher hire and contract. Instead, the Aggies missed a bowl in the 2022 season at 5-7 and have disappointed majorly again this year.
While hilarious that the Texas A&M brass and boosters essentially flaunted the money that could've been used to pay Fisher's buyout, replacing him will be the biggest thing moving forward. Elijah Robinson takes over as the interim for now, but expect the Aggies to try and hit a home run after ripping off the Jimbo band-aid.