Jimbo Fisher's Top Postseason Priority? Keeping Texas A&M Together
COLLEGE STATION -- When the clock strikes zero at Kyle Field next Saturday night, Texas A&M Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is off to recruit.
The difference between this year and last year? He'll be internally recruiting players to stick around for another season rather than hitting the trail to add new prospects for 2023.
Less than a year after finishing with the No. 1 recruiting class, the Aggies are lost beyond repair. A six-game losing streak marks the longest skid in over 50 years. For the first time since 2008, Texas A&M will finish below .500, thus making them ineligible for a bowl game.
In bowl season, teams are allotted 15 extra practices to prepare for their matchup. For Fisher, those 15 open days are critical for him to convince players to buy into the long-term plan and return to Aggieland for the spring semester.
Of course, as the losses continue to pile up, morale continues to deplete each second.
“Not everybody wants to run and jump," Fisher said Monday at his weekly press conference "A lot of guys want to prove we’ve got a good team, we have a good group. ‘I love A&M. I love all that.’ That’s why our guys keep playing.”
Fisher would ideally like to keep every prospect he can for next season, but several players have likely made up their minds and are waiting to enter the transfer portal following the Aggies' season finale against No. 6 LSU.
Others could be on the fence. Back-to-back wins over UMass and the Tigers could be beneficial in swaying those teetering the line of transferring and taking a second look at Fisher's big plan. The Aggies (3-7, 1-6 SEC) enter Saturday as a 34.5-point favorite over the Minutemen. The Tigers could be A&M's Super Bowl of sorts and a bit of a comeback after last year's 27-24 upset in Tiger Stadium.
Just because a play leave won't guarantee better results. Take for instance players from TCU that left following the departure of Gary Patterson and the hiring of Sonny Dykes. Star running back Zach Evans elected to leave for the SEC and transfer to Ole Miss. Defensive line Ouchan Mathis headed to Big Ten country by linking up with Nebraska.
Evans is the Rebels' No. 2 back behind Quishon Judkins and will likely be preparing for a New Year's Day Bowl instead of the College Football Playoff. Mathis' Huskers' were eliminated from bowl contention after a 34-3 loss to Michigan on Saturday.
And TCU? Three wins and the Horned Frogs will be playing for a national title as one of the four finalists to make it to SoFi Stadium.
“No matter where you go, it’s always about the process,” safety Demani Richardson said. “Don’t always expect something to happen right away. If you transfer, the things you expect to happen won’t happen. Work is always the key to everything.
"Don’t always expect quick things to happen. Things don’t always go the way you expect them to.”
Fisher said that the media will often "cut players short" of their intentions after a lost year. More often than not, those internally have enough pride to steer the ship, work through the trial and produce better results a year later.
Despite the low morale for 2022, Fisher said he isn't concerned with a mass "Texit" from players via the transfer portal.
“The grass is not greener,” Fisher said. “People have pride, too. Players have pride. They want to do it right, stay here and see it through."
Fisher will need to recruit internally. He'll also need to be active in the transfer portal by adding veteran talent. Last offseason, the Aggies steered away from adding players from different programs, focusing on their top-ranked recruiting class.
Maybe Texas A&M won't be aggressive like several other SEC programs, but it'll need to be active. And adding talent via the portal has benefitted several programs this past fall, including LSU, TCU and USC, all of which remain in playoff contention entering Saturday.
By the time the clock strikes zero next Saturday night, Fisher will be off and running when it comes to recruiting. For now, Texas A&M's focus is on ending its losing streak that dates back to 1972.
The opponent? A program that's won three games in four years.
"This team keeps doing what it's supposed to do," said Fisher. "They'll keep doing that and play well. We want to play well for those seniors in their last two games."
Kickoff from Kyle Field is set for 11 a.m.
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