Jimbo Fisher is not happy with what some SEC coaches are saying about him and his program. (Texas A&M Athletics Photo)
Texas A&M has stunned the college football recruiting world by putting together the nation’s top-ranked 2022 recruiting class. Coach Jimbo Fisher has now had four straight top 10 classes at Texas A&M and is feeling shaggy based on what he said at his signing day press conference Wednesday when asked about speculation by some SEC coaches that a huge NIL money pool has helped the Aggies land this top talent.
Fisher didn’t name names, but he sure ripped some of his fellow SEC coach with this long, but entertaining, answer:
“Here’s what I’m going to say, and this is point-blank. Here’s my problem. There is no $30 million fund, there is no $5 million, there is no $10 million — this is garbage. And it does, it pisses me off that people — and it comes from a (Internet) site called BroBible by a guy named Sliced Bread, then everybody runs with it. So it’s written on the Internet as gospel. How irresponsible is that?” Fisher said.
“There are some very reputable writers in college football and sports that wrote it, and that have said it and have done things. That’s unbelievable to me. When I first heard it, I laughed. I said, ‘Oh, yeah, what a clown.’ I didn’t even think anything of it, because I don’t have social media. Then it kept building, and lately I’ve heard more about it.
“To me, it’s insulting to the players that we recruited that that’s why they would come here. Have you ever been to a game here? Have you ever come to school here and see the education? You ever talked about the 12th Man and Aggie Network when you’re done? There ain’t a better university in this country. And it’s insulting to what you say.
“All these — we’ve got writers who have said it and done it off Sliced Bread, who made it up. I’d love to see who Sliced Bread is. Put it out there with Sliced Bread, let me find out where it comes from. And to have coaches in our league and across this league that say it? Clown acts. Irresponsible as hell. Multiple coaches in our league.
“The guys griping about NIL, griping about transfer portal, are using it the most and bragging about it the most. That’s the ironic part. You want character? I’ll take it with any of y’all. It’s a joke. It does piss me off.”
Wait. He was not done. If anything, he was just getting on a roll.
“I got another one. Vice President of Notre Dame. Supposed to be a reputable university, right? Heck of a person leading a reputable university. I would be real proud if I hired that guy. Read it off Sliced Bread. But they say it because it’s written on the Internet,” Fisher said.
“We worry about the kids and social media and Internet? How about grown-ups? How about the guys that are supposed to be setting an example? How about writers who are supposed to be writing the right thing? How about coaches supposed to be doing the right thing? And I tell you what, I know how some of those guys recruit, too. Go dig into that. I know the history, I know the tradition, and I know things. Trust me, you don’t want to go down that avenue.
“It’s ridiculous. And it’s irresponsible and it’s unbelievable. I ain’t just talking about one. Multiple people got NIL issues. It’s funny, when (Alabama coach) Nick Saban said his quarterback (Bryce Young) got an $800,000 deal, it was wonderful. Now it ain’t wonderful no more, huh? We ain’t got that. Ours are on record what comes up. We ain’t doing all them big deals. Ain’t none on our place that we know of. That’s funny when you do it.
“And then we gripe about the transfer portal? You guys take more than everybody. What’s about that? What goes on? The hypocrisy is a joke. It’s an absolute joke. And it’s insulting to our staff, how hard we work, to how we do things, and it’s insulting to Texas A&M, because there ain’t a better place to go to school and play ball. If you don’t like what we’re coming on, get used it to. All right? We’re not going anywhere.
“It’s an absolute joke, and the people who put the hard work in and do it. It’s irresponsible. But it’s funny when they get it, it’s all okay. Ball games are changing, man. And it ain’t because of NIL and what goes on. It’s pretty irresponsible of all of them. They’re clowns. “
“They got a problem with it, come see me. I ain’t a hard guy to find. We’ll be in some meetings. You can say anything you want. We can do anything you want. I ain’t got no problem with it, I promise you that.”
Has he tried to contact any of the SEC coaches he’s upset with or plan to do so?
“No, because I don’t really care what they think. Just want to make comments, they can come see me if they need them. I ain’t got a problem with it, I promise you,” Fisher said
7 Responses
Don’t keep it all bottled up Jimbo, tell us how you really feel.
I think he just did Paul and probably won’t be the end of it.
Bout time!!!
I am on Jimbo’s side on this one without more than what I have read comes out. I believe some of these football powers have been cheating for a long time as Jimbo hints in this piece. The Aggies stole somebody’s thunder this time around on the recruiting trail, and the usual big shots don’t like it. I here Lane Kiffin has his hands all over this bit of news too involving Texas A&M. What a nice guy, so well loved in Big Orange country too. I call him "Mr. Controversy." Always running his mouth about something! I do think this NIL era, and the big deals being made to enrich these college athletes, is going to be the ruin of college football in time and create unfair advantage for some. There is nothing right about the whole thing. It does not belong in college sports.
I just mention two quotes here for Jimbo Fisher. Shakespeare had Queen Gertrude say in Hamlet “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much” meaning the guilty usually speak the loudest and the most. Famous American Western author Louis L’ Amour said about the same thing. “Throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that yelps the loudest is usually the one that got hit”. After all, UK Basketball has players driving brand new Porsches to practice as part of NIL. Does anyone really think that doesn’t have an impact on recruiting? I would bet money there aren’t any Vanderbilt or Ole Miss basketball players driving Porsches to practice. Jimbo may be the one that is the clown if he thinks we believe that hard work only is why he just signed the best recruiting class ever in the history of college football.
Is Jimbo not being honest here about his NIL deals Keith?, Maybe, who knows? I hear him saying A&M don’t have a lot of these $800,000 NIL deals like one that QB (Bryce Young) at Alabama received. His success in signing quality athletes, he says, is based on hard work, atmosphere, 12th man, etc. He could be right from what I have seen from that football factory. Of course you are right that all this money made by some players from NIL deals, as I understand it, helps recruiting, and buys college athletes Porches, and God knows what else at UK, and at other places as well. That don’t make it right or fair for all on the playing field does it? I think some of these coaches who are complaining about A&M’s football recruiting now are just plain hypocrites. I still say this NIL era is a sad day for amateur athletics. It is a system ripe for cheating, and it will only get more so in the future.
Every power 5 school will have NIL deals. If the Aggie recruits had $30 mil worth of deals, the young men would be boasting about it. Where are the names and amounts? The NIL deals that were put together for Aggie recruits have been hugely exaggerated.
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