COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M has fired head football coach Jimbo Fisher, Athletics Director Ross Bjork announced on Sunday.
The news was first reported by TexAgs. According to ESPN, Texas A&M plans to honor the remainder of Fisher’s contract, which is a record $76 million -- more than three times any other known public school coaching buyout.
"After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President Welsh and then Chancellor Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision. We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors," Bjork said in a statement.
Elijah Robinson was named the interim coach for the rest of the season.
Fisher took over in Aggieland in 2018, following his resignation from Florida State. In his first year, he led the Aggies to a 9-4 record. They were second in the SEC West and went on to win in the Gator Bowl.
The Aggies are 45-25 since Fisher arrived in College Station, including 6-4 this season and 4-3 in the SEC. The team hasn’t won the SEC West since he got there, finishing second twice.
Fisher’s current record is worse than the head coach he took over for at Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin was fired before him with a 51-26 record.
Fisher’s best season with the Aggies was 2020 when the Aggies’ only loss was to Alabama, the team that eventually won the national championship. Texas A&M would finish that season ranked No. 4. That season, the Aggies beat North Carolina in the Orange Bowl.
News of the firing comes a day after Texas A&M beat Mississippi State, 51-10 at Kyle Field.
Fisher had signed a 10-year contract extension in 2021, which was to take him through the 2031 season in College Station.