Over the last two seasons, it became abundantly clear that former Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork, despite nearly botching the hire, made the right decision to bring Mike Elko back as the program’s head coach after serving as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator from 2017-2021. Leading the Duke Blue Devils for two seasons during his first head coaching gig, Elko outright earned a chance to coach the Aggies.
Since taking over, Elko is 19-7, including last season’s 11-2 finish and first trip to the College Football Playoff, which former coach Jimbo Fisher, who was dismissed just a week before the end of the 2023 regular season, only came close to accomplishing during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, which resulted in Bjork granting Fisher a four-year contract extension worth more than $9M annually.
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Just five seasons after leading Florida State to an undefeated season and a national title win over Auburn, Texas A&M lured the once-regarded QB “guru” to the Lone Star State, where he would sign an eye-popping 10-year, $75 million contract with the Aggies and bring championship-level expectations to College Station.
Despite consistently recruiting at a high level, including the still-historic 2022 recruiting class, Fisher and his staff were constantly behind the 8-ball, while Fisher’s complex scheme, quarterback injuries, and discipline issues led to a 5-7 finish in 2022, followed by a 6-4 start in 2023, directly leading to his dismissal after six seasons.
Texas A&M will continue to pay off Fisher’s historic $77.5 million buyout, and after not finding a new head coaching gig following his dismissal, Fisher has worked as an analyst for the ACC Network since 2025, but still wants to coach in the future, which was revealed during his recent interview with The Athletic.
“The relationship with players. The competition. I miss the competition. I miss recruiting. If I can recruit without money, I can recruit with money. I promise you that,” Fisher told The Athletic. “But I miss the competition, the gameplanning. That was never work to me. That was fun. It was a grind, but it was fun.”
Would Fisher thrive in today’s NIL-driven college football landscape? That remains to be seen, but going on three seasons without a coaching job, with time to reflect on the mistakes he made during his six years at the helm, it would be fascinating to watch Jimbo Fisher back in a head coach position, especially in a Power Four job if that is even in the realm of possibility.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Former Texas A&M HC misses the ‘grind’ and eyes coaching return
