Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher is a family man.
Fisher is a married father of two sons and a stepson. However, as the head coach of the Aggies, he has also served as a father figure to hundreds of football players.
Fisher said it’s common to occasionally take on the role of a parent as a coach.
“When you’re with [these players], you’re not their parents, but you take the part of their parents sometimes,” Fisher said. “Being in charge of the responsibility of them, becoming who they can become when you’re their coach, when they’re away from home.”
One of the clearest public connections Fisher has with a player is his relationship with former quarterback Kellen Mond. The San Antonio native already had one year under his belt before Fisher stepped in as head coach in 2018. However, they quickly developed a strong relationship.
“It’s for a lack of a better term, how your children grow up, the conversations they have with you, you know what I’m saying? [Mond’s conversations], from a football standpoint, from a psychological standpoint, are really good,” Fisher said during A&M’s 2019 Media Day event. “I think that’s now allowing him to transition into putting his personality and demeanor on the other players. It’s hard to do that when you are still battling for a job yourself and proving yourself. From that standpoint, he has grown tremendously.”
Under Fisher, Mond started 36 consecutive games and logged 19 touchdowns and 8,286 passing yards. Additionally, the duo led the Aggies to two bowl victories including the Texas Bowl in 2020 and the Orange Bowl in 2021.
The obstacles he and his mentor have overcome have only solidified their relationship, the signal caller said during the postgame presser after defeating North Carolina 41-27.
“Our first year together, looking at where [Fisher and I] are now, we’ve overcome so much,” Mond said. “We’ve been through a lot of adversity and a lot of people doubted him and also doubted me. We just continue to fight and now we only lose one game, which was about two months ago. And now, we’re Orange Bowl champions.”
At the 2021 NFL Draft, Fisher had nine Aggies up for grabs.
Fisher said the draft brought another opportunity of a shared sense of pride for parents and coaches alike.
“When you’re a parent, I can’t imagine having your child’s name called right there across the board [in the NFL Draft],” Fisher said. “But as a coach, you feel a lot of those same feelings … You watch them grow and become men and the evolution of who they become as people through the ups and downs and the successes and the failures.”
With 32 franchises and seven rounds, the athletes that had been under Fisher for three years had a chance to hear their name called on the biggest stage in football.
Fisher tuned in and awaited the same announcements. The head coach said seeing how far his players went was a gratifying experience for him.
Of the nine Aggies in the draft, four were picked up in the first four rounds. Mond was the first A&M player drafted. Fisher’s prodigy was drafted at No. 66 in the third round.
“It’s a very, very rewarding thing,” Fisher said. “Because you’re so proud, not for yourself, but of what they’ve accomplished for themselves.”