Jimbo Fisher: Only one of 11 early enrollees have secured NIL deals

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban created a firestorm all over the world of college football last week when he called out and accused Texas A&M and Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher for using NIL deals to recruit players. Ever since, all eyes have been on the back-and-forth comments between Fisher and Saban, and that continued on Monday.

In a recent interview, Fisher vehemently denied Saban’s accusations, saying that just one of Texas A&M’s early enrollee’s 2022 class has an NIL deal already in place.

“Of the 11 guys we have in place that came early, one guy has an NIL deal,” Fisher said in an interview with KSAT 12’s Greg Simmons. “So all these stories you’re hearing are complete lies.”

Texas A&M is bringing in an impressive 2022 class, as it is ranked as the top-rated class in the cycle, according to the On3 Consensus rankings. The Aggies bring in nine five-star recruits and 19 four-stars as part of the class, while Alabama comes in second in On3’s rankings with four five-stars and 19 four-stars.

Fisher continues to deny Saban’s NIL accusations

Ever since Saban spoke out, Fisher has adamantly denied his claims. Fisher continues to say that Texas A&M did not use NIL to recruit players. He even went as far to say that Saban is a “narcissist.”

“First, I want to say, it’s a shame that we have to do this,” said Fisher. “It’s really despicable. It’s despicable that somebody can say things about somebody, an organization, and more importantly 17-year old kids. You’re taking shots at 17-year old kids and their families. That they broke state laws, that they’re all money, that we bought every player on this group.

“We never bought anybody. No rules were broken. Nothing was done wrong. It was all – the way in which we do things, the ethics of how we do things. And these families, it’s despicable that a reputable head coach can come out and say this when he doesn’t get his way or things don’t go his way. The narcissist in him doesn’t allow those things to happen and it’s ridiculous when he’s not on top.”