Jimbo Fisher explains the hire of Bobby Petrino

Things did not go well for Texas A&M last season, especially on the offensive side of the football. They finished in 13th place in the SEC in 2022 with an average of just 22.8 points per game. That’s why, regardless of how you think it may go now, a switch was needed and Jimbo Fisher did exactly that by moving on from Darrell Dickey after five years to a well-known name in Bobby Petrino.

Petrino’s hire was one of the first things that Fisher addressed during his press conference on the opening day of spring practice yesterday. In the end, he said it doesn’t go much deeper than their familiarity with one another. From there, both Fisher and Petrino agreed that they could make something happen in College Station.

“That was a guy we wanted to hire, a guy I’ve known. I’ve known him a long time,” Fisher said. “We have great respect for each other. When we talked and after meeting with him? We thought it would be a very good fit with what we’re trying to do and the things that we believe in with what goes on.”

Petrino is bringing nearly 40 years worth of college experience with him to Texas A&M. That resume includes several stops in Division I and the NFL as a head coach, offensive coordinator, or quarterbacks coach.

The SEC got their first run with Petrino back in 2002 as the offensive coordinator at Auburn. After one of his three stints at Louisville and then the NFL, he then became the head coach at Arkansas. Then, after his career in Fayetteville unceremoniously ended, he eventually bounced back to the state of Kentucky. He spent a year with WKU and then four more years with the Cardinals before landing with Missouri State the last two seasons where Fisher found him this offseason.

While he’s well-traveled, he’s also been quite successful in each spot. Petrino is 119-56 at the FBS level as a head coach. He has also brought plenty of offensive firepower to several schools where he has been a part of the staff.

We’ll have to wait and see the impact Petrino could make in his return to the SEC on Fisher’s sideline. With that said, any development he can make with Conner Weigman and the A&M offense will go a long way in helping the Aggies improve on their scoring and, as such, their 5-7 record from last season.