Joel Klatt says Jimbo Fisher never 'bought in' to Aggie culture while Texas A&M football head coach; Mike Elko, in contrast, has
Texas A&M football fans, for the most part, don't exactly have warm feelings towards Joel Klatt. The former Colorado quarterback has had his share of fun making inflammatory comments toward the Aggies and their fans over the years, and more often than not, he gets the reaction that he's shooting for with his trolling.
Let it never be said, though, that he's only every trying to get a rise out of Aggie fans. Usually, when he actually decides to get serious and talk about the Ags, there's at least one or two solid observations in there, even if it does seem at times that he is giving credit begrudgingly or too quick to talk about negative things.
In a recent appearance on Dallas-Fort Worth's 96.7 FM the Ticket radio station, Klatt offered his opinion on the Aggies for this year. Well, something of an opinion: Klatt apparently is still not quite sure what to make of the Ags, labeling them a team he is "very curious" about.
However, he continued on to compare the way things were under Jimbo to where they now are under Elko. He opined that the culture was "never right" under the former Aggie head man, of whom he had been critical in the last few years.
Klatt went on to say that the A&M fan base "deserves a winner as much or more so than any fanbase in America," but that he "never felt like Jimbo really bought in to the Aggie culture." However, in contrast, he said that "Mike Elko does buy into it."
Was this perceived lack of buy-in the reason for Jimbo's flaming out? Some might say so. I personally never felt like that was the issue; the things that ended up manifesting were issues that some had seen from afar with problems at FSU and elsewhere. It's possible Klatt is alluding to the lack of discipline in the program that eventually showed itself—and I think most Aggies would agree on that front.
One thing is for sure, though: Elko definitely seems bought in. His program culture change is noticeable already. Will a better fit lead to more wins? We'll just have to see.