Jimbo Fisher: The bizarre final months of his FSU tenure

The question of when Fisher first had his foot out the door has sparked plenty of debate. It’s not an easy one to answer, but there were plenty of signs that his decision to leave was made long before it became official in early December -- and likely prior to our War Room Report noting that Texas A&M had its sights on him back in October.

The first indication that something might be in the works took place way back in the spring of 2017. At that time, new Texas A&M athletics director Scott Woodward, a longtime friend of Fisher, called out then-head coach Kevin Sumlin at the SEC Spring Meetings. A college A.D. speaking out against his football coach that far in advance of a season is certainly unusual. There are some who believe this action was taken because the Aggies' leaders already felt confident they would be able to hire a high-profile coach to replace Sumlin.

I’m not suggesting that a deal between Fisher and the Aggies was done way back in the spring. On the other hand, it seems extremely likely that a representative of A&M reached to agent Jimmy Sexton prior to this time to gauge his client’s interest. Based on Fisher’s history of flirting with other schools, it’s more than reasonable to assume the Aggies’ interest was reciprocated by Sexton. One of our writers even had a conversation with Fisher last spring, during which he spoke about A&M's program in glowing terms. Fisher talked at length about the facilities in College Station and how that program could be a sleeping giant.

The shift from flirtation to consummation probably took place shortly after FSU’s season opener.