'I Have A Great Respect For Nick': Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher Responds To Feud With Alabama Coach
There are always two sides to a story. Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher finally spoke his peace on the "feud" with Alabama's Nick Saban when addressing reporters at SEC Media Days Thursday afternoon.
Much like Saban, Fisher is looking ahead. Let bygones be bygones. It's all about settling the score on the field in Bryant-Denny Stadium come Oct. 8.
“I have great respect for Nick, and unfortunately our thing went public, and sometimes that happens in this world. Nothing is private anymore, is it?" Fisher said Thursday morning.
"We all will learn. He will learn. Hopefully, I will learn from things we do and say and we move on from there."
Fisher and Saban made headlines in May following the Alabama coach's comments on the Aggies' No. 1 recruiting class. Saban credited the advantages of having top-tier partnerships with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) into players signing with the program.
Within 24 hours, Fisher responded at an impromptu press conference, calling the seven-time national champion coach a "narcissist” and telling the NCAA to "dig into his past" in recruiting with the NCAA ruling prior to NIL deals.
On Tuesday, Saban told reporters in Atlanta that he held no "ill will" toward his former assistant and looks to be better in future conversations discussing the topic.
“He’s done a great job at A&M, and he did a great job for us (at LSU)," Saban said. "I always take criticisms or whatever in a positive way, to self-assess me personally, in terms of maybe there is something that I could do better."
Saban and Fisher's long-standing relationship dates back to the early 2000s while in Baton Rouge. As the Tigers' offensive coordinator, Fisher would ignite a fire at LSU, helping Saban win his first national title over Oklahoma in 2003.
Both coaches are highly regarded as two pioneers of modern football. Tensions have also been high between the two programs since A&M's stunning 41-38 upset over Alabama in College Station last October. The victory marked the first time a former assistant had defeated Saban in his career.
Fans of both schools have early October circled on their calendars in what is expected to be one of the most talked about games of the impending season. Alabama players are treating the feud as if it were nothing.
“Both coaches are great coaches and great competitors,” Alabama quarterback Bryce Young said. “When you compete at this high of a level, stuff like that is bound to happen..
"For us, we have a lot of respect for Texas A&M as a team. Obviously, we know how good they are."
A&M players are also following a similar path in terms of preparation.
"We're treating it like any other game," A&M safety Demani Richardson said. "You saw what happened last year. Focusing on one game doesn't get you where you need to go, so we're going to take every game like it's the same game."
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