Aggies 'Hot Seat': Should Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher Be On it After App State Upset?
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The No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies are coming off of arguably the most disappointing loss of the Jimbo Fisher era on Saturday, following their 17-14 upset at the hands of the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Kyle Field.
Is the heat now on? On the program? On the coach?
While many will be shocked when they see the score run across the bottom ticker of their televisions, in truth, it should not come as too much of a surprise.
Not only have the Mountaineers had a history of pulling off major upsets over the last two decades, but they nearly did it last week when they fell just short in a 63-61 loss to North Carolina.
But for Texas A&M fans, this loss won't be looked at as some great surprise but rather just the latest in a line of disappointments under Jimbo Fisher's reign as head coach.
"At the end of the day, that's my fault as the head football coach," Fisher said. But ...
1) Jimbo admitting the obvious gets no points from us (though after scoring 14 points here, the Aggies could use some.)
2) There have over the years been a few too many "end of the days'' like this.
In his first season, Fisher seemed to have the Aggies on the rise, finishing the year 9-4, albeit with disappointing losses to Mississippi State and Auburn in the middle of the season.
In Year 2, despite taking a step back record-wise, the Aggies still seemingly took a step forward, going 8-5 with each of their losses coming to top-10 teams.
Year 3 was even better, with the Aggies finishing 9-1 and their only loss coming to No. 1 Alabama.
Since then, however, the Aggies have regressed.
In 2021, the Aggies came into the year with their highest expectations ever. And the Aggies doubled down, signing Fisher to a four-year contract extension and raising his salary from $7.5 million to $9 million annually.
However, it was quickly evident from the season-opener that something was missing.
It started with a near loss to Colorado in Week 2 and bad back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State.
Then, two more disappointments against Ole Miss and LSU to round out the year sent the Aggies into the offseason with more than just a sour taste in their mouths.
In 2022, the Aggies were expected to bounce back and came into the year with one of their highest pre-season rankings in program history at No. 6.
However, for the second year in a row, the Aggies are performing well below their expectations, culminating in the embarrassing Appalachian State loss. ... a game that A&M paid App State $1.5 million for the right to be humiliated.
Or, to be the "humiliator.''
So following the latest disappointment, should Jimbo be on the proverbial hot seat? The question will inevitably be asked over the next week before the Aggies take on No. 15 Miami next Saturday.
After all, the Aggies, who came into the year with championship-level expectations, are paying fisher a championship-level salary, just finished with the latest recruiting cycle with a championship-level class, and have championship-level facilities and financial support from their university.
All the same, the answer to that question, as our columnist Art Garcia notes, will be an emphatic NO.
Putting aside the fact that the buyout to fire Fisher would cost Texas A&M an astronomical amount of money thanks to the new extension, it is far too early this season to begin a doom-and-gloom scenario.
He also just brought what many are calling the best recruiting class of all time to College Station, meaning the future should be brighter than ever for the maroon and white.
Despite the loss, the Aggies will still have just about everything in front of them.
They can still win the SEC, and if they finish the season without another letdown and pull off another upset of No. 1 Alabama, they very well could make the College Football Playoff.
Given what we have seen so far, is that a realistic possibility? Maybe not. But it also can't be ruled out as of yet.
Either way, Fisher will now, at the very least, have a little bit more pressure not to suffer another letdown.
If he does, perhaps we can revisit this conversation.
But until that second major letdown happens - the Aggies will have their first shot at redemption against Miami next Saturday at Kyle Field - Fisher remains safe ... along with a tad of backside warmth ... as he should be.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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