Where did Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher land on PFF’s Top 25 College Football coaches rankings?
While spring football for Texas A&M may be nearing its end, it doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to the water cooler talk for the summer. This is the perfect time for endless way-too-early predictions, breakout player forecasts, and more!
As we all await meaningful college football, the folks over at Pro Football Focus ranked the country’s top-25 coaches to date. We’ll save you the trouble and state the obvious: Alabama’s Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart occupy the top two spots. After consistently leading their programs to College Football Playoff contention, their rankings are well warranted.
Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, hot off back-to-back Big Ten championships and CFP appearances, clocks in at No. 3. Despite the Tigers’ struggles over the last few years, by their standards, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ranked No.4, and on the West Coast, USC’s Lincoln Riley rounds out the top five after boasting three of the last six Heisman winners as his signal-callers.
Meanwhile, in Aggieland, the Maroon and White’s Jimbo Fisher landed at No. 17 overall in the eyes of PFF. Here is what they had to say regarding the ranking:
“After a successful tenure at Florida State that included a national championship in 2013, Fisher left to become Texas A&M’s head coach in 2017.
His first four years in College Station were mostly successful, finishing fourth in the AP poll in 2020. The Aggies also brought in arguably the greatest recruiting class ever in 2022 with eight five-star recruits. Expectations were high for the Aggies heading into 2022, as they were ranked sixth in the preseason poll. However, Texas A&M was a massive disappointment, as it missed a bowl game this past season.
This season will be a major prove-it year for Fisher, but he has the track record and a talented roster to be optimistic about a bounceback.”
Jimbo finished one spot below Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin while ranking just ahead of No. 18’s Mark Stoops of Kentucky. The Aggies head coach has spent five seasons at College Station, and it’s encouraging to see that PFF gives weight to those first four seasons of relative success.
Despite all the challenges that the covid-impacted 2020 season brought, A&M improved mightily en route to a fourth-overall finish in the final AP poll. Fisher has also proven more than capable of bringing in top-tier talent with that 2022 recruiting class, headlined by eight five-star recruits that should play vital roles next season.
But success in college football is predicated on what you’ve accomplished as of late, and for Fisher, it comes in the form of an underwhelming 5-7 record last year. His No. 17 ranking by PFF illustrates that while you must respect his track record, there is still plenty of work to do heading into the 2023 season.
Jimbo understands that, and with a bevy of talent at his disposal it wouldn’t be shocking to see a convincing bounce-back next season. 2023 will be a major prove-it year nonetheless, but the Aggies, and their head coach, should more than be up to the challenge.
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