Top 5 Head Coaching Candidates if Texas A&M Football Fires Jimbo

Names to Watch if Texas A&M Football Makes a Move at Head Coach

Let me start by saying that I am not yet totally convinced that Texas A&M football will—or even necessarily should—make a move like this. For my money, the Aggies will keep Jimbo around to see through the 2022 class before many of them declare for the draft at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Like it or not, the man is a player’s coach, and whatever your own gripe with him might be personally—as I have seen the frustration many Aggies have with on-field performance begin to bleed over to personal attacks on the man—I can guarantee that it is not one that is shared by the players in that locker room. They do not think he is mailing it in due to a huge, guaranteed contract. They do not consider him to be shifting blame in press conferences. They do not find him to be a snake oil salesman. Just because he has disappointed you as far as the play on the field does not mean that he is now a bad person. Just because he has not yet achieved the heights envisioned when the Texas A&M football brass signed him to that huge contract does not mean he is bilking you, personally, out of money. His faults can be discussed without the frustration leading to these irrelevant and, frankly, silly claims.

At the same time, though, I do want to make it clear that there are plenty of faults to discuss. According to a user on TexAgs (ConfidentAg), Jimbo is 1-9 as head coach of Texas A&M football when the spread of a game is within 1.5 points—in other words, he has lost nearly every single toss-up game the Aggies have played in. He does not often win when his team is not favored, notching only 3 such wins in his nearly six years here (though when he does, it should be said, it’s in absolutely huge games—2020 UF, 2021 Alabama, 2022 LSU). The offensive talent he has accrued through recruiting is not producing to their maximum potential. Road games and general offensive execution more often than not look like an unmitigated slog.

All of these things are valid to point at. Will they be enough to part ways with him at the end of the season? I don’t yet know. If so, Texas A&M football needs to be careful. Here’s what I mean: I have seen a lot of suggestions by fans for coaches that seem to cure one pet peeve or another that the fan in question has with Fisher. For example, “let’s hire [insert G5 coach name here]. He’s always producing great offenses with lesser talent!” But imagine, for a moment, that we do hire that coach. Why do you think he always has lesser talent? He can’t recruit as well. What about his defenses? How do they do? You can’t just hire reactively based on the issue you have with how the team currently looks. You have to go out and get the best name overall. The one who is best suited to lead the Aggies to the promised land.

I don’t know yet if the Aggies are prepared to make this move. But if they are, these names will be the ones to watch.