Aggies Desperately Want to Be Relevant However They Do It

Nick Saban never said Texas A&M did anything wrong, so what's wrong with taking credit for No. 1 class

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
May 20, 2022 1:16 PM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's the Aggies and they are going to Aggie.

It's fall-down comedy watching Jimbo Fisher and his athletics director, Ross Bjork, scramble to act like they don't use name, image and likeness.

Not only is the SEC West the best college football division it is now the most entertaining.

First of all, Nick Saban started it talking to what is probably some donors and boosters in Birmingham and he was throwing the whole name, image and likeness thing under the bus.

Nick Saban-Cincinnati — Alabama coach Nick Saban walks on the field during preseason warmups before a College Football Playoff game against Cincinnati Jan. 2, 2022. (Marc Lebryk / USA TODAY Sports)

Jimbo, though, didn't want the credit he was handed for taking advantage of the rules. Again, nobody has said anybody from Texas A&M did anything against the rules or even attempt to do that.

Considering the Aggies just signed more five-star recruits in the most recent class than they've combined to get for the previous four years combined, they want us to believe they all wanted to play for Jimbo and A&M.

He called his own press conference and for 10 minutes delivered a diatribe aimed at his tenant. Nick is living rent-free in Jimbo's head and probably really doesn't care. It's been simmering since signing day back in February.

Saban doesn't like the whole NIL and has been on the record he isn't a fan since it first came into being.

That doesn't mean he's not going to play the game, though. There's nothing but some rumors and whispers about his time as a head coach and Greg Byrne as an athletics director.

Jimbo Fisher-Kent State — Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher reacting to a situation during a game against Kent State in college station to open the 2021 football season on College Station. (Maria Lysaker / USA TODAY Sports)

Fisher can't say that. He left Florida State with multiple questions (Jameis Winston and Cam Akers are the first two names that leap into the conversation with anyone from there).

A show-cause penalty and fines followed the Aggies into 2020, but they caught a break there with the pandemic restricting recruits coming to games.

The whole thing is hilarious. It's sorta like the little drug cartel pointing the finger at the biggest one and saying he's doing illegal stuff.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive had to issue a public reprimand, which probably was thrown in the trash with a mild glance.

Even A&M athletics director Ross Bjork, who was buddies with Hugh Freeze and dealt with the NCAA on a regular basis at Ole Miss, raced to a microphone to jump into the whole thing, too.

Bjork asserted to Sports Illustrated that Saban was "threatened" and comparing him to an "emperor who loses their dynasty"

And, to add to all this fun, Slive told all the other coaches in the league to not do any media. In other words, a media blackout to avoid more publicity. We won't get a comment from Sam Pittman at Arkansas, which would likely be a chuckle, anyway.

Exactly what A&M is so mad about is probably the most hilarious part of all this, slightly ahead of Deion Sanders' race to jump on the pile after finding a safe landing spot.