Viral post exposes embarrassing Texas A&M statistic that fans would rather forget

Despite an inability to put together consistent high-win seasons over the past while, Texas A&M football has still been a fixture in the national headlines for quite some time. The Aggies have made waves in recruiting, facilities, and overall institutional commitment to excellence in football, including some huge hirings— and firings.

The most high-profile of these was when Texas A&M brought in Jimbo Fisher from Florida State. Widely considered a top-shelf elite coach at the time, Fisher started off pretty well at A&M, culminating in the 2020 season where they only sustained one loss— and that was to the runaway national champs in the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Things went downhill from there, however. The Aggies had an up-and-down year in 2021 before bottoming out in 2022. Late-game collapses marred the 2023 season, and by the three-quarters mark of the year, fans were done with Jimbo, as apparently was the administration.

Cost of Jimbo Fisher firing still having lasting effects on Texas A&M Athletics and fans

Their firing of Fisher wasn't without consequences, however. Jimbo had come to College Station thanks to the Aggies' impressive willingness to put their money where their mouth was— literally— when it came to an investment in football, and a big part of that was offering a massive, ten-year contract with a fully-guaranteed buyout.

That brings us to some recent reporting by Matt Stahl, who obtained the total severance spending by each SEC team for the previous year, putting it into graphical form. You don't have to click the link below to imagine what that chart looks like, but it's still staggering to actually see.

A&M spent almost triple what the next-closest AD did last year on severance. That's painful to see.

In a time where shifting landscapes regarding athlete payments are leading to increased costs for ADs around the country— and a time where Aggie fans are eager to see certain coaches perhaps sent on their way sooner rather than later— a figure like this is eminently relevant. The Fisher firing could be handcuffing the Aggies for years to come in that respect (although, with baseball, we'll have to see here soon).

One thing's for sure: the embarrassment hasn't entirely worn off for Aggie fans. That sting will continue to dull with time, but the way things ended is still a sore spot as of right now.