It’s not a secret — the Texas A&M football team has one of the best coaches in the game in Jimbo Fisher. Even in a year where his team hasn’t lived up to the hype, Fisher managed to lead his squad to a signature program win.
This win came in the form of a colossally large upset of the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Fisher did this with an unranked team that had lost two consecutive games.
Perhaps the best part about the win was that it wasn’t a fluke at all — Fisher’s team outplayed Saban’s through and through. Even though the Tide led the Aggies in total yardage, Texas A&M won the turnover battle, which may have been the deciding factor in the end.
Where does Texas A&M football head coach Jimbo Fisher rank among active college football coaches?
With a national championship under his belt, Fisher should be considered a lock for the top ten, especially considering the fact that he has never suffered a losing season as head coach, at least if you exclude his final season at Florida State, where he resigned before the end of the year.
Outside of that season, Fisher has never won fewer than eight games in a season. At 8-5, his second season with the Aggies could be considered his worst as a head coach. If that doesn’t scream “great head coach,” I don’t know what does.
Fisher has also changed the attitude around the Texas A&M football program.
Before we slap a label on where he ranks among college football head coaches, it’s important to see where others have him ranked. Before the 2021 season, Sporting News has Fisher at the five spot, while PFF has him ranked as low as 13th. Generally speaking, however, Fisher is somewhere in the top ten. But where does he belong?
He’s not above Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney. Yes, Fisher has potential, but as things stand, those two guys are untouchable. The argument could be made for him at the three spot, but it would be a slight reach — a conference championship would help secure that position.
The story of where he truly ranks won’t be settled until he has completed his tenure with the Aggies, but right now, he looks like a top ten college football head coach. After a win against Alabama, one thing is clear — this Texas A&M football team can compete with anybody, no matter their accolades.
Even though Jimbo is only on the cusp of having a truly successful season, he has one of the most talented teams in the country, gathered through consistent top ten recruiting classes and strong on-field coaching.
Because of his large body of work, I think Jimbo Fisher belongs in the top five. That said, he’s within reach of the three or four spot if he can manage to get an SEC Conference Championship under his belt. For now, he’ll have to be watching guys like Kirby Smart and Dan Mullen from a distance.
The remainder of the 2021 season and the 2022 season will be very telling in terms of how he sizes up with other coaches.