'There's No Panic': Aggies Athletic Director Ross Bjork Supports Jimbo Fisher
To the public eye, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher faces pressure to deliver in 2023 after a loss 5-7 last fall. To those in the building, his job is safe for another year.
In an interview with ESPN, A&M athletic director Ross Bjork dismissed all talks of Fisher being on the hot seat entering the new season, stating that his mantra was "built to last."
"There's no panic here," Bjork said, via Chris Low. "You can't be a blow-by-the-wind program in how you make decisions and expect to win championships in the SEC. Sure, last year was disappointing for all of us, but I look at where we're headed, and so does Jimbo."
The Aggies suffered their first losing season since 2008, losing six straight matchups in SEC play while also falling to Sun Belt program Appalachian State at Kyle Field in Week 2. The offense was inept under Fisher's play-calling, finishing 93rd nationally in total offense and 101st in scoring (22.8 points per game).
Bjork believes the program has a positive outlook with a new season on the horizon. The offense features more experience at receiver and on the offensive line. A&M also returns veterans like receiver Ainias Smith, safety Demani Richardson and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson to serve as leaders in the locker room.
Fisher, who has called plays since his time as LSU's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban, will also be handing the playbook over to new coordinator Bobby Petrino. The former Louisville and Arkansas head coach was brought in this offseason to replace Darrell Dickey following a three-year stint as Missouri State's head coach.
“I work for Coach Fisher,” Petrino said at his press conference earlier this month. "This is his program. I'm very, very impressed. That's one of the reasons I came here is because of my knowledge of how he runs a program. But it's my job to make sure I'm working hard every day and it's been fun though, I can tell you that it's been really enjoyable just because he's got such a great offensive mind.”
Fisher, who enters his sixth season with the Aggies, signed a 10-year guaranteed extension that will pay him $95 million ($9.5 million annually) through 2031. Should he be fired following the 2023 season, A&M would owe him $77 million.
Despite last season's mishaps, the Aggies still believe Fisher is the right man to lead the program to their first College Football Playoff appearance. A&M came close in 2020, barely missing out when it finished No. 5 in the rankings after going 8-1 in an all-SEC schedule during the COVID-shortened season.
Fisher also has led A&M to four winning seasons and three bowl victories since 2018. He currently boasts a 39-21 overall record with the program.
The No. 23 Aggies open the season at Kyle Field against New Mexico on Sept. 2 before traveling to Miami in Week 2 to face the Hurricanes.
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