Inside Texas A&M's Firing of Jimbo Fisher With TexAgs' Billy Liucci | What's Next for the Aggies?

we welcome Billy Luchi from texags.com he broke the story on Sunday morning that Jimbo Fisher was going to be fired he has since been fired $76 million buyout Billy you reported that this process of making the decision on Jimbo Fisher started at the Board of Regents meeting last week a regularly scheduled meeting that happened to come after the loss to Old Miss because I think people are confused and and I think I look at the timing of it they played they drop a 50 Burger on Mississippi State last night yeah and then this happens but after talking to you I understand that Old Miss thing kind of felt like a final straw yeah I think that did that that stuck in the craw of a lot of people that were ultimately making the decision and look you you you set yourself up for that with with the entire history right and and I know it's tough Conor wigman was looking really good I sat here with the SEC network crew and you know prior to that and and the whole day before all we were talking about was how good wigman looked and where does he rate in the SEC with the your quarterback pecking order and it was early for that talk but that's how he was looking you know but it there's a whole body of work around it there's other quarterback injuries and is that coincidence or is that slow developing plays is that poor blocking schemes I I don't know but you you you know as the losses Mount as the average or below average Seasons Mount then comes you know where your margin for era goes away so it wasn't based on one game but it certainly feels like we wouldn't be having this conversation today had they won and I felt that way going in if they win in Oxford they are you know they're probably going to be 5-2 in the SEC which we saw the difference between them and Mississippi State last night 5-2 in in the SEC and and they'll be on a four game you know a four- game win streak heading into Baton Rouge in the season finale I and all of that with with a backup quarterback so I don't think we'd be having this conversation I I think when they lost that game a lot of Trends and statistics and uh records and and Road records SEC records they were six and 12 against Power five in their last 18 those became overwhelming and undeniable and if you try to counter that at all you just you just really couldn't because some of those numbers were just overwhelming and they just they spoke louder than anything you know that anyone on the other side of it could say and Old Miss again I think it just Andy what it did is it squashed any and all momentum and I think the way any hope for momentum let me say that and I think the way that it happened uh that it happened against Old Miss and with the stuff between Jimbo L and kein it's not so much about that but it it is it's it's the whole concept of doing less with more well I thought the way and Miss is an example of the opposite kind of so that's kind of that I think it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way I thought the way lane framed it going into the game like if I were someone who made decisions at Texas A&M or someone who wrote checks at Texas A&M the way he framed it would really bother me and it was yeah when he said well their goal is to be ball eligible and we're aiming for bigger things and that but he did that after saying they have all these great players they have all this it was like sticking the knife in and yeah it was absolutely that and and and all the more reason you needed to win and I think people would have been really excited about that Victory had that kick gone through and ADM won it in overtime or had the defense gotten that you know that stop there they late or ain't them not thrown the pick early in the third quarter you know there's a million ways they win that football game and that's also look I don't I don't know that PE I don't think anybody but me has made that connection with the lane thing but I just knew how pissed off everybody was going into that game and then coming out of it um but it yeah it was a narrow tough brutal loss that that everyone knows they could have won I don't say should that was a hell of an SEC football game so was A&M Alabama a few weeks earlier I wouldn't say the same about A&M Tennessee I think both of them were just yeah slopping around out there for most of it but those other two games were like hey toet to- toe let's go four quarters of really good football and see who wins and and it's going to come down to the wire but that's been that's been kind of the mo around here for a long time and Jimbo I said this the other day and I believe this he got A&M closer than than anyone has you know in recent history RC had it there early in his tenure and they won the Big 12 later in the tenure in 98 and then obviously Jackie Cheryl but I'm talking about in the last 30 years or so um since their last conference title so 25ish years Jimbo had him the closest to getting there and by getting there I mean a legitimate top 10 program a an C title Contender for a stretch a team that was going to win 10 games consistently it felt like Andy they they nine and one Orange Bowl top four finish right in the playoff discussion right to the end then the next year they they lose Hayes King they have a couple bad weeks they come back they beat Bama they win like five in a row they beat a number of 11 Auburn team that comes in here their number 11 themselves going into Oxford favored and then favored two weeks later against a bad LSU team with Edo going out there it was backto back New Year 6 maybe a 20 and three or 21 and three 20 and4 record in two years whatever that bowl game was going to be and they were putting together the number one recruiting class that probably believe it or not could have even been better had they won the so you would have been talking about back-to-back top 10 if not top six finishes a number one class and I think more than anything Andy is you would have been talking about a culture change because coaches you've been a part of programs coaches can do all they want to try to change culture it's never I don't know that it's ever happened other than hey we got good kids and they're graduating but I mean like a culture of winning in a culture of a championship level expectation I don't know that it's ever happened if you can't hit that run where you're winning games and it's sustainable yeah and until you do that you can only go so far before it starts to erode and I think they hit that Tipping Point where they could have truly let that winning winners mentality and mindset sink in and they couldn't quite get over and then Jimbo and and that locker room were never able to get it back and then we get all the comparison to Kevin suman's record and uh it felt like it like you said eroded after that because you're right if if they beat Old Miss in 21 if they beat LSU in 21 we are probably having a different conversation about Jimbo Fischer today but now it did go downhill they they had that great recruiting class but couldn't cash it in on the field and I just wonder at what point did did the folks in charge say yes it's an obscene amount of money but it's also an obscene amount of money next year it doesn't ever stop being an obscene amount of money so we have to do it right now I think I think in the last week I really do I mean I think maybe the grumbling started after uh maybe a little bit after Miami some conversation started to be had like hey what if we have to do this um but I think I don't think that was going on too much after Bama maybe after Tennessee people started talking you know seriously about it but I think in the past week is when like you know decisions were made and and people went into those meetings knowing we know what we're going to talk about here so everybody better be prepared and this is a a very large amount of money obviously the $76 million is is what gets the headlines but you have to buy out the rest of the staff you may have to pay a buyout for the next coach 25% of this is due within 60 days the buyout so that's 19 something million dollars yeah probably you're probably talking need like 25 to 30 million in cash like right now that is a huge decision for the Board of Regents for the athletic department administration how did they come to that decision oh I think there's so there's levels here you know there's the board there's athletic director president uh here at A&M it's Unique to the 12th man Foundation because they're the fundraising arm um so I think there were probably a lot of conversations and then maybe you know Thursday was that one conversation where everybody at once was brought together and involved in it so not not an easy decision to come to you know and say what you will I said last year if it wasn't for the contract I think I told Dennis do I think A&M would have made a change and I think doing it a year ago might have been a little premature but now six years in it's how long Kevin suon was here uh it was hard to see it turning around especially in today's day and age of the portal I think people were looking at that going man this could get this could get dacey in a hurry because you had a lot of whispering going on you know and you don't want to do anything based on what you predict is going to happen I I really don't like that I don't like that form of leadership per se but I think what was actually happening in the here and now and how it will affect the future I think that was something that you had to really study and I do think that that statement aside I do think that portal thing was lingering in a lot of people's mind what is the profile of the next Texas Anam coach is it is it a sitting head coach is it a Hott coordinator is it does it matter if they've won a conference title like you know cuz Scott Woodward the former athletic director who hired Jimbo Fischer had made it a priority to hire somebody who had won a national title it feels like the criteria a little more loose this time Dabo let's go no I look that would that that would be like one right yeah no I don't I don't think it's going to look like that this time around and look Scott Woodward what what do he what are we talking about here Brian Kelly Jimbo Fisher Kim Moi you know I mean we know what Woodward Woodward does he definitely has a type um but Ross as a type too it's different it's you look at some of the coaches he's hired in the other sports sometimes he'll go off the beating path but it's also not going to be only Ross making this higher it's just not I don't think there's going to be like I think A&M people have learned enough that like it's not going to be meddling on the Regents or donor level I think it's going to be just more than just the athletic director making this tire I don't know I almost expect to kind of get some support from a search firm on this one I think there'll be a couple other people respected very respected outside of even the athletic department you know brought in to kind of help with this search and is commonly to place at places you want at least a little bit of a think tank without getting it too big where you can't keep a secret but uh this is the a real search Andy I don't think there is a type okay so just making pick a name of these high high-end Jimbo types like when A&M hired Jimbo maybe not with a championship but you know the biggest names that people will sit around the table like when you and I sat there and I you know mentioned Jim Jimbo and people are like you guys would never hire be able to hire Jimbo from Florida State so if one of those guys expresses interest A&M can pass the hat and they can go get the money and say we can't get that guy unless you do you want to pay his buyout because if you do we'll fund the contract but but the buyout money so I do think one or two of those will pop up where it'll be at least intriguing those biggest of the big names kind of what I think people around the country think they're going to expect A&M to do again so I'm not saying they can't go up there but it has to be if they truly think somebody is is attainable and right now I I don't see that name so you do you you do have a former roommate who got into coaching yeah Dan Dan Campbell A lot of people say go get one of the Dans Dan Campbell or Dan Landing one of them's got a $20 million Buy out the other ones got uh the Detroit Lions on on you know a potential hell they potential Super Bowl run so I know I looked up his salary um it's only it's four million but you gotta try right you do you do and I'm look I think they'll call they'll reach out to you make the list and I'll bet they'll reach out to to him but Dan I just knowing knowing him I I think he's he's so loyal he's so loyal to you know the Lions gave him a chance and uh when other you know he interviewed he's interviewed for several jobs and the Lions gave him a chance and he's kind of ingrained himself in that City and they're doing special things up there and I don't know why I'm sitting here like making a pitch for it not to be him I'm just telling you why I I think that would be I just think it's great you I think it's great you guys have the same coffee order so yeah you know what today I need it I did text him a picture the other day Hatfield from Metallica they were playing this weekend in Detroit and I wanted to get Metallica Through a connection I wanted to get them to go to practice and I was like I'm gonna show up with Metallica at the Lions practice unannounced like I'm going to plant it through the ban and through the Lions and through you know Holly Dan's wife I'm like I'm G to set this up and I'm going to literally walk into his office and then behind me is going to be you know the whole crew Hatfield Lars tro they're we're going to go in there and just show up at practice we're gonna have you know how the teams have the camera in my head it sounded great and then I saw the concert schedule and it was like okay that's a game week at home at Kyle Field going to be tough but we could maybe do it and and then I saw the other part of it and it was Detroit on the west coast and it's like oh so I did send him the picture of Hatfield at his he posted a picture on his Instagram pointing at Dan's uh office door saying he wished he was there so that pretty much made his life but yeah I I think coaching the Lions right now is making his life he's very very happy with it so but yeah I mean who is it I I also could see A&M looking in completely different direction in terms of how this ends up is you know you look at names like you know uh Jeff trailer at UTSA that'll come up a lot I think you know uh well one that's definitely going to come up and he's absolutely going to be one of the candidates and one of the people that A&M uh takes a long hard look at is and someone else I'm familiar with as are a lot of people here and Mike Elco it do yeah and what he's done there in two years and you know Elco to me this is the way I describe him because so because you mentioned coordinators like do you go look at you know at in Athens Georgia at their young defensive coordinator who's making Glen making a name for himself yeah do do you look that way do you you know it's you know do you look at you know high price do you go look at what dor is doing at Washington I think that would cost you a caj jillion dollars you know Mike Gundy at Oak State people were talking about him a few days ago and then what happened yesterday but I think you know that would that's a weird Direction it feels there's a bunch of names that come up where you go huh elco's one of them though that Elco and trailer are a couple that I think you have to take a a long look at but I think there's also going to be some of those unexpected names you know like uh and I'm just all over the place with this like do you go look at like I'm not I'm just thinking of somebody like that's been a coach for a while like a Chip Kelly or somebody that when Brian Kelly took the LSU job we didn't yeah we didn't know he was available but he was available exactly yeah I could definitely see this job drawing somebody like that because it it obviously can pay well the resources are good you're near bunch of really good recruits so it has all the the bells and whistles yeah yeah and and let me ask let me tell you what I was going to say about Elco you talk about like coordinators and stuff right uh I don't feel like there's more than one maybe two like right now that are like some you name all these really successful coordinators that have stepped up well Lan kein had been a head coach at USC in Tennessee you know Steve sarkeesian had been a head coach at Washington and USC and both of them had won national titles calling plays for Nick Sabin um Bob Stoops everyone knew you were down there at the like everyone knew Bob Stoops was a a star just a matter of where not when or where not if Brent venables we all knew was was just waiting on that that right Mega job um who's another recent coordinator that uh Lincoln Riley sitting there Freeman was sitting there at Notre Dame there's nothing really Kirby Smart was just biting his time for Georgia at Alabama could have had 80 jobs in the interim to me Elco actually if you're thinking of like where's that coordinator you know a too bad A&M doesn't have that like groomed up from within That's Mike Elco the bonus is oh by the way he got to go you know go through the ropes of being a head coach at a power five program for a couple years if you were able to get him so to me that he kind of is is a multicategory to quote one of my I don't know if you've ever seen Summer of Sam and they've got the list of they're trying to see who the Killer is and this one guy who said that's he's a multicategory put him on the list elco's a multicategory so anyway that particular connection if you if you want him to get hired but good movie it's a good movie exactly well Billy Luchi thank you so much and uh we appreciate it and when we come back I will give you in honor of the 12th man a dozen potential candidates for the Texas wow I gotta listen I gotta listen to this one thank you so much for watching just a reminder subscribe to this channel right here so you never miss an episode of Andy Staples on three and oh by the way watch all the other great videos on the Onre Sports YouTube channel