When Texas A&M finally fires Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin can author the farewell | Toppmeyer
When Jimbo Fisher’s tenure ends with Texas A&M handing him a 10-gallon hat full of oil-stained cash, let Lane Kiffin write the obituary to Fisher’s coaching career.
No SEC West coach tortured Fisher these past few years with Kiffin’s consistency. Fisher keeps leaving his fly unzipped in front of the class jester, and Kiffin won’t let him forget it.
In what’s become the theme of the Fisher era, the Aggies squandered an opportunity for an important victory Saturday in a 38-35 result favoring No. 10 Ole Miss that kept the Rebels (8-1, 5-1 SEC) alive for the College Football Playoff and moved Fisher one loss closer to a buyout that tops $77 million.
Zxavian Harris blocked the Aggies’ 47-yard field-goal attempt as time expired after Ole Miss had taken the lead with a 75-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
The score shouldn’t have been as close as it was. Ole Miss dominated the first half, but the scoreboard showed just a six-point halftime lead after the Aggies returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, a 10-point swing.
The narrow defeat is the battle cry of the wait-til-next-year brigade. Next year never comes for the Aggies (5-4, 3-3). They’ve lost 10 games by a single possession the past three seasons.
Coaches and athletes can find odd motivations, and the Rebels have been on a vendetta against Fisher’s Aggies these past few years. Something about Fisher’s No. 1-ranked 2022 recruiting class and his subsequent verbal feud with Nick Saban caused Kiffin to make Fisher his favorite target for ridicule.
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Kiffin worked three seasons for Saban, and he credits Alabama’s coach for rebooting his career, but I think this rivalry with Fisher is about more than that. For one, Fisher doesn't fight back. Kiffin is attune to weakness. Also, I think Kiffin takes particular enjoyment in being 3-0 against a coach and a program that consistently does less with more, while Kiffin does more with less.
Ole Miss players are on board with this rivalry. Muscleman emojis posted by the Aggies on social media before the game lit a fire under the Rebels.
“I guess (the Aggies) don’t get enough attention from the games they’re losing,” Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart said.
Actually, those losses receive plenty of attention.
An eternal optimist could argue these close Aggies losses, while playing with backup quarterback Max Johnson in place of the injured Conner Weigman, prove they’re not far off and should stay the course with an embattled coach in his sixth season.
But, I think that’s actually an argument for making a change. The Aggies aren’t that far off, but they’ll remain one-possession losers as long as Fisher is in charge.
Where does Brian Kelly LSU era go from here?
Brian Kelly warned me – and anyone who’d listen – before the season that LSU’s secondary was a weakness that could hold the Tigers back in Kelly’s second season. Apparently, he could’ve also added LSU’s defensive line and linebacking corps into that warning.
LSU’s defense ranks among the SEC’s worst, as Alabama reminded us in a 42-28 victory Saturday. The flaws are most glaring in the injury-riddled back end, but LSU’s front six is so accommodating and unmenacing it’s like a déjà vu of 2020. LSU ranks last in the SEC for sacks. How is that possible?
Also concerning, LSU’s recruiting class ranks 10th nationally – not good enough.
It’s not time to panic about the Kelly hire, but LSU's defense can’t continue like this in 2024, and an examination of this recruiting crop shows insufficient help is on the way.
SEC football hot seat update
Zach Arnett is coming off the edge to join the race with Fisher and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman to be the first SEC coach fired in 2023. Florida’s Billy Napier and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer lag behind.
I expect Pittman, Napier and Beamer to endure into 2024, when they’ll face make-or-break seasons.
Would an 8-4 record save Fisher? Maybe, but a finale against LSU could turn the Aggies’ 8-4 into 7-5 and send Fisher to buyout utopia.
Arnett is the wild card after a 24-3 loss to Kentucky. Hamstrung by quarterback Will Rogers’ injury and an offense that’s more inept than it should be, Mississippi State (4-5, 1-5) is in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009.
Firing a first-year coach would be harsh, but Arnett’s buyout is peanuts, and athletics director Zac Selmon didn’t hire Arnett. Plus, MSU’s recruiting class ranks 13th in the SEC.
If ever there was a time to fire a rookie coach, this is it.
Best line I heard this week
ESPN’s Alex Scarborough after a Jalen Milroe completion: “Has LSU played this soft in coverage all year?”
OutKick’s Glenn Guilbeau: “Did you see the Ole Miss game?”
Three and out
1. Unlike Arnett, Napier is armed with a rich buyout and recruiting momentum to prop up his tenure. He'll need both after Saturday's 39-36 loss to Arkansas, which bailed water from the SS Pittman. However, Florida’s 2024 schedule features 11 games against Power Five opponents, two more than the requisite amount. Napier’s Florida record is 11-11, and the Gators (5-4, 3-3) might miss a bowl. No amount of camouflage will allow Napier to hide next year.
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2. Georgia's 30-21 win over Missouri helped chart the course for the SEC East, but MU's Eliah Drinkwitz remains a frontrunner for SEC Coach of the Year. To keep Drink in the award's catbird seat, the Tigers will need to beat Tennessee on Saturday. Elsewhere, Kiffin could surge into the pole position if the Rebels upset Georgia in Athens.
3. Alabama winning the SEC Championship is the conference's best path to two playoff bids. It’s also the avenue that could produce no playoff bids. Consider this possibility: Washington, Florida State and either Michigan or Ohio State finish undefeated. One-loss Texas wins the Big 12. Alabama wins the SEC. Could the CFP committee admit Alabama ahead of Texas in that scenario? Not with a straight face.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
The "Topp Rope" is his twice-weekly SEC football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: When Texas A&M fires Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin can write the farewell
