Ex-$95 million college football HC a potential 'wild card' to be named Auburn coach: Insider

After months of rumors, Auburn fired Hugh Freeze, but the attention quickly turns to who will be the Tigers new coach. A group of familiar names is being floated as the top candidates, but a "wild card" has also emerges as a potential sleeper at Auburn.

The last time college football fans saw Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M boosters and brass were coming up with the money to pay the coach's historic $77 million buyout. That's how bad Fisher's tenure at College Station ended.

Yet, Fisher wants to get back into coaching and continues to be linked to some of the top vacancies. The Athletic's Bruce Feldman labeled Fisher as a potential "wild card" at Auburn along with former Penn State coach James Franklin.

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— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) November 2, 2025

"The other intriguing option is former Texas A&M and Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, who is now doing TV work for the ACC Network," Feldman wrote on Sunday. "He took the Seminoles to a national title following the 2013 season and led the Aggies to a No. 4 finish in 2020.

"He did get paid a boatload of money to leave College Station in 2023 after things really fizzled out there, but his 45-25 record was a lot better than anything the Tigers have been doing of late. It’s worth noting things also fell apart for him in Tallahassee late in his tenure," Feldman continued.

"The 60-year-old played college football in-state at Samford, where he also started his coaching career, and he spent six seasons at Auburn as quarterbacks coach. If Fisher really wants back into coaching and Auburn is game, this might be very tempting for him."

Jimbo Fisher Went 11-11 in his final two seasons at Texas A&M

For context, Fisher went 5-7 and 6-4 during his final two seasons with the Aggies. The program that eventually hires Fisher will point to his national championship run at Florida State.

Could Jimbo Fisher make his return to the sidelines?

It wouldn't be an Auburn coaching search without a wild card or two…@BruceFeldmanCFB's candidates to watch for the Tigers' coaching vacancy: https://t.co/eZNdWWkQIQ pic.twitter.com/uFA0vMWXzX
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) November 2, 2025

Fisher was previously on a $95 million contract with Texas A&M that was slated to go through 2031, per The Athletic. There are so many college football openings as the carousel keeps spinning that Fisher is likely to land a job, but the question is whether one of the top programs will take a chance on the veteran coach.

Fisher has not coached since 2023, and it would be a surprise if a program signed the coach to another $95 million deal. The coach may need to prove he is capable of winning in the new era of college football amid the transfer portal and NIL deals by taking a bit less money than his last go around.

College football buyouts have hit nearly $185M this season.

• Brian Kelly (LSU), $53M
• James Franklin (Penn State), $49.7M
• Billy Napier (Florida), $21.2M
• Hugh Freeze (Auburn), $15.4M
• Mike Gundy (OSU), $15M
• Sam Pittman (Arkansas), $9.8M
• DeShaun Foster (UCLA)… pic.twitter.com/GAgNsB57Ww
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 2, 2025

It would still be an upset if Fisher's next stop was at Auburn.