Texas A&M Football: Jimbo Fisher has a lot to prove in 2022

It’s been a rough stretch for Texas A&M football fans in recent years. After two rebuilding years, the Aggies finally looked like a contender in 2020. Unfortunately, they’d be the first team left out of the College Football Playoff, leaving fans wondering what could have been.

The next year, A&M would stumble to an 8-4 record before opting out of its bowl game due to COVID-19 complications. The Aggies’ struggles were largely due to injury issues on offense — specifically at the quarterback position.

Still, this has not reflected well on Jimbo Fisher’s resume, which was nearly flawless before coming to College Station. All factors considered, the Aggie head coach has done a great job at his current post but it may not look like that on paper.

The 2022 Texas A&M football season will give Jimbo Fisher a big opportunity to prove doubters wrong

Those who have been close to the Texas A&M football program will likely feel great about their current head coaching situation. Heck, anybody who has done a sliver of research knows that Fisher is probably a top-five coach in the nation. Heck, 247Sports has Fisher as their fifth-best coach as of less than a month ago. But again, this is based on the past. Here’s what Brad Crawford said about him.

"He became the first former Nick Saban assistant to beat his boss head to head (2021) and came close to getting to the final four two years ago. But right now, Fisher’s best work came at Florida State, where he won multiple ACC titles and a national title in 2014 with Jameis Winston at quarterback."

When talking about Fisher, you’ll see lots of “buts,” meaning fans are quick to downgrade his accomplishments. The only way to truly rid of this narrative, however, is for Fisher to have a strong 2022 season, which his team is in a position to have.

There are three primary ways to do this:

• Beat Alabama (again)
• Reach 10 or more wins
• Reach the College Football Playoff

Thankfully for the Aggies, any given team can prove itself on any given year in the SEC. Jimbo Fisher’s season goals should be clear — beat Alabama and make the College Football Playoff. Oddly enough, he beat ‘Bama and didn’t make the playoff last season. If he beats ‘Bama again, he probably won’t miss the postseason.

Fisher has a lot to prove but with one of the most talented rosters in the country, it’s entirely doable.