Scott Woodward inadvertently put the pressure on Jimbo Fisher to win before anyone knew the Aggies would manage to pull their new head coach away from Florida State.
In May, when Woodward, Texas A&M’s athletic director, appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show, he set the precedence for not only former A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin to win, but for the coach who would follow Sumlin if he didn’t live up to those expectations.
Woodward said when A&M fired Sumlin the Aggies would look for a coach that would win championships — in Woodward’s eyes Fisher is that guy.
The pressure only increased when the details of Fisher’s contract were released. The $75 million dollar fully guaranteed mega-contract was not only eye-popping, but a weight that was instantly placed on Fisher’s shoulders even before he could walk down the maroon carpet at Easterwood Airport.
A&M’s poaching of Fisher from the Seminoles is another reason for the immense expectations Fisher now faces.
Across the nation, fans, coaches and some media members were baffled by Fisher’s decision to leave a storied program like Florida State, which has always been consistent. The sentiment of betrayal from fans in Tallahassee also contributes to the pressure.
On Sunday, it was announced A&M accepted an invitation to the Belk Bowl. Texas A&M President Michael K. Young began his speech at Monday’s introduction of Fisher saying he looks forward to accepting the Sugar Bowl invitation next season.
The answer is simple — win. If Fisher can win in his first year at Texas A&M, all of this will be forgotten.
However, Fisher has his work cut out for him.
Two of the four teams he’s set to face to start next season are in the College Football Playoffs. Fisher faced both No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Alabama this season at FSU — and lost to them.
In a press conference with the local beat media, Fisher said in order to compete with those teams to start the season he has to put the pieces in place to succeed. Fisher made clear he hopes to accomplish that during the offseason.
The good thing for Fisher though, is that he’s proven his ability to coach at a high level.
It’s only a matter of time before Fisher can prove whether or not he can provide the results the majority of Aggies want.
Angel Franco is a telecommunication media studies junior and sports editor for The Battalion.