Last week, some troublesome rumors began circulating around the world of college football. Unfortunately, this rumor was particularly unsettling for Aggies everywhere. It wasn’t because one of our star players had been hurt, was doping or had a bad run in with the law. No, it was that Louisiana State University, or LSU, was on the hunt for a new head coach and that Jimbo Fisher was its trophy catch.  

Say what you want about LSU, but the school has a great football program. Its recruiting efforts are world class, along with its facilities. Besides an extremely hostile fanbase, playing in Death Valley — as long as you’re playing for LSU — is almost as impressive as playing in Kyle Field. More importantly, from an employment standpoint, LSU has enough cash to extend any offer that would interest any coach. 

Nonetheless, most Aggies, including myself, weren’t buying it. 

Still, the 12th Man needed to hear it for itself. After all, when rumors were circulating a couple of years ago that Fisher could be leaving Florida State for the promised land, more commonly known as College Station, he danced around questions when confronted on the prospect of his leaving. 

Finally, Monday came, the day coach Fisher does his weekly press conferences. Everyone knew that he was going to be asked about the LSU rumors right off the bat, and sure enough, he was. After some joking around regarding the order of questioning, Jimbo gave an answer that was music to Aggie football fans’ ears. 

“Imma say this right now: I love being here,” Fisher said. “This is the job I wanted. I’ve got a great contract, an unbelievable chancellor, an unbelievable president, an unbelievable [athletic director]. We’re building something; we’re recruiting great players. I really believe we’re in the process of building something great. I plan on being here and fulfilling this contract.” 

It’s hard to argue he could have given more of a definitive answer than that, yet disgruntled University of Texas — which we lovingly call t.u. — and FSU fans still took to social media in complete denial. 

One of the bigger arguments is that Jimbo did the same thing to Florida State when A&M was recruiting him to be our head coach. Just for fun, let’s take a look at his response to being questioned about leaving FSU compared to his response about leaving Aggieland. 

When asked if he was going to leave the Seminoles for the 12th Man, Jimbo said, “I never comment on jobs. My focus right now is winning against ULM and playing our season.”

Now let’s take another look at his response to the LSU rumors on Monday. Fisher said, “I love being here. I plan on being at A&M and fulfilling my contract. I love everything about the people here and the administration here.”

The difference between those two responses is night and day, and doesn’t require any further explanation. 

But since some still aren’t convinced, let’s further discuss why it wouldn’t make any sense for Jimbo to leave. There are two main reasons: finances and legacy. 

Currently, Jimbo is the seventh-highest paid college football coach in the country, making $7.5 million a year. He was also recently given a contract extension for a small increase of $1.5 million, raising his total salary to $9 million a year. This will likely put him in the top three of highest paid collegiate coaches, barring any other contract extensions. The bottom line is that for Jimbo, money is not the issue. 

Arguably more important than money is Jimbo’s legacy here at A&M. 

The last time A&M won a national championship was 1939, meaning A&M has won more world wars than national championships since then. To say that we’re long overdue is underselling it. If Jimbo were to go to a school like LSU and win a title, it would be a big deal, but it wouldn’t be anything close to what it would be like winning a championship at A&M. 

When A&M does win a national title under Jimbo, statues will be erected of him, buildings will be named after him, songs will be written about him and everything in between. His place as a legend in College Station will be cemented forever.

Jimbo’s personal connection with Aggieland is undeniable. He made this clear by saying, “My family has roots here. I got ranches here. I hunt here. I love everything about this place.”

As much as the t-sips, Seminoles and everyone else wants to see Jimbo leave and A&M’s football program crumble, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. 

Plus, Jimbo said he hunts here, and Tiger season is quickly approaching. 

Sam Somogye is a political science senior and columnist for The Battalion.