Is Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher A Top 10 Coach In College Football?
As the legend of Jimbo Fisher continues to grow following his comments from the Nick Saban aftermath, there's a track record that proves he remains one of college football's top coaches.
Fisher, who is entering his fifth season at Texas A&M, has only finished below .500 once in his 13 seasons as a head coach. That came in his final year with Florida State after his quarterback, Deondre Francois, suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, thus leading to an eventual 5-6 record.
CBS Sports recently released its top 50 coaches for the start of the 2022 season. At this point in his career, it's widely considered that Fisher is a top 10 play-caller in the sport. According to CBS Sports, he sneaks in at the No. 5 spot.
Being one of the few active coaches with a national title gives Fisher plenty of weight in the rankings, but that title was nearly a decade ago. Furthermore, while Texas A&M almost reached the College Football Playoff in 2020, it followed it with an 8-4 mark last season, meaning Jimbo has lost at least four games in three of his four seasons in College Station. The good news is that Jimbo's stacking excellent recruiting classes, but if those five-star recruits don't lead to playoff berths, I don't know how long Fisher will be able to hold onto a spot in the top five. 2021 rank: 6 (+1)
Fisher's status as a top-five coach could be coming to an end. The expectation for the Aggies is to be contenders in the SEC West and eventually the SEC in general.
A&M's best season under Fisher came during the 2020 COVID-19 all-conference schedule. The Aggies finished No. 4 in the country in the AP Poll after going 9-1 with an Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina.
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In the other seasons, the Aggies have finished with at least four losses. And while several highlight games include the seven overtime win over LSU and last season's upset over Alabama, fans expect more than 8-4 finishes.
A&M is set up for the next several years to be one of college football's top programs. This offseason, the Aggies picked up the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, adding prospects such as defensive lineman Walter Noelen (SI99's No. 2), cornerback Denver Harris (No. 6), edge rusher Shemar Stewart (No. 7), and receiver Evan Stewart (No. 12).
Rounding out the top five include the usual suspects. Saban takes the top spot for another season, followed by Georgia's Kirby Smart, who jumped Clemson's Dabo Swinney. USC's Lincoln Riley just makes the cut over Fisher at the No. 4 spot.
The Aggies open the season at Kyle Field against Sam Houston State on Sept. 3.
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