Jimbo Fisher Says Former Razorback Star Was Unlike Anyone He'd Ever Seen

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher has spent most of the past two years away from the sideline.

But during a recent ACC Network segment, one of college football's most accomplished coaches couldn't stop talking about one former Arkansas running back.

Long before winning a national championship with the Seminoles, and continuing Texas A&M's winning streak in the Southwest Classic over Arkansas, he was dialing up plays for LSU.

During his final two seasons in Baton Rouge, Fisher didn't have to figure out ways to stop Razorbacks' star running back Darren McFadden. But he sure did have fun sitting back watching a generational talent rip through some of the best defenses this sport had to offer for three seasons.

Arkansas Razorback running back (5) Darren McFadden runs for a touchdown during first half action against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"A guy that never gets talked about, I think in college, who was as good as anybody I [coached against] was Darren McFadden," Fisher told the ACC Network. "I'm gonna tell you one thing, I'm going back to when I was an offensive coordinator at LSU. Let me tell you something now, in college football, if you ever go back and watch him in Arkansas, he took Arkansas to limits."

McFadden took college football by storm as a sophomore, leading Arkansas to its only 10-game winning streak since joining the SEC in 1992 and putting the Razorbacks within reach of both the SEC Championship and a berth in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game.

He is also one of only two players in Heisman Trophy history to finish runner-up for college football's most coveted individual accolade.

In just three seasons, McFadden became Arkansas' all-time leading rusher with 4,590 yards, set the school single-game rushing record with 321 yards and helped establish the NCAA record for combined rushing yards by teammates alongside Felix Jones.

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McFadden was a unicorn of sorts in college football.

No. 5 in red could simply do it all out of the backfield. If he wasn't lowering his shoulder pads going downhill off a halfback iso, or taking a toss to outrun the edges, McFadden was making plays through the air.

The Razorbacks' superstar wasn't taking snaps for trick plays, he was lining up to run plays as the quarterback in a package then offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn labeled "The Wildcat." In high school, it was the best way to get the football in the hands of his best player as much as possible.

That might've been a novelty at that level, but Malzahn made it work and McFadden bought into it immediately. He completed 14-of-22 passes for 205 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception.

Teams dared him to take kickoffs the distance, averaging nearly 25 yards per return to a tune of 926 yards and one score. He even found paydirt through the air on occasion with 45 receptions for 365 yards and another two touchdowns.

"He was 225 or 230 pounds. He could run by you. He could run over you. He could make you miss. He could flank out of receiver, and he could run and make play. But then they put him at quarterback," Fisher said. "If you remember, they were doing "The Wildcat." He was throwing it. He could throw it 60 dadgum yards.

"People don't ever talk. I don't hear people mention him as much, but I know on the other side, as an offensive guy, every time he did something, I just I wanted to watch."

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