Jimbo Fisher retained Steve Addazio because he's 'a very good coach'

In choosing to keep Steve Addazio on staff as the offensive line coach for a unit that struggled in 2022, Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is betting on continuity and Addazio’s ability to get the group going. And the Aggies will surely need that unit to play better than it did a year ago.

In 2022, Texas A&M ranked 80th in rushing offense at the end of the season, averaging 141.5 yards per game — and a lot of that production was thanks to the top-tier speed of Devon Achane. In pass protection, it wasn’t much better, as the Aggies allowed 25 total sacks, a marked tied for 75th in the country last year.

But Fisher is confident he made the right call in keeping Addazio — who joined the staff in 2022 — as the offensive line coach.

“I think he’s a very good coach. Very productive coach who has done it for a long time. I think he’ll do a great job,” Fisher said.

While Addazio’s track record as a head coach is lack luster, he did have a knack for producing NFL-caliber linemen when he was at Boston College. Prior to being a head coach, Addazio was a long-time offensive line coach and won two national championships coaching the position under Urban Meyer at Florida.

There is not much to question about the credentials that Addazio carries — he’s coached offensive line at the highest levels of college football — but Texas A&M and Fisher can’t afford another season like 2022 where the offense atrophied.

And much of what ailed the Aggies, and much of what can be made better, starts on the offensive line. Fisher is making a big bet on Addazio and his coaching chops, one that the Aggies are surely hoping pays off.

While Addazio might be a familiar face, much of what will define the Texas A&M offense in 2023 is what how much it’s shaped by Fisher and how much it’s shaped by new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

While the head coach isn’t likely to give Petrino carte blanche to overhaul the offense, Fisher covets his knowledge and there’s no doubt that Petrino will get to impact some of what the Aggies do.

“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.”