Jimbo Fisher vehemently defends coaches not releasing depth charts

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher defended himself and other head coaches this week who’ve opted not to put out official team depth charts for the season. The Aggies skipper clapped back at reporters who questioned the lack of the depth chart on game day and went into depth on his reasoning.

“Well what I mean, I said did they always stay true?” Fisher said. “You’re playing week to week and all of the sudden, we’ve got a couple guys jump into our rotation at different positions that we could go with second, maybe third team. All of a sudden, guys slipped up, didn’t practice well… it changes so much. And then I give it to you and you say, ‘well, so-and-so didn’t play, what’s the matter with him, is he hurt?’ No. ‘What’s the matter with him?’ Nothing… I’m not going to sit here and say somebody beat him out.

“Those things change weekly and who gets nicked up. Max would’ve been on it and suddenly, Max wasn’t there. The depth charts anymore, you get caught up in those things so much. They’re not useless or worthless but they’re not as important as they once were, even to us.”

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Based on his response, Jimbo Fisher’s biggest reason for not sending out a depth chart is not for a competitive advantage. His motivation is to save his players from uncomfortable questions throughout the season and to maintain flexibility with his lineup.

Fellow Lone Star State head coach Steve Sarkisian made headlines when he initially did not release a depth chart for the season. However, that did not hold as the Longhorns put one out on gameday versus ULM.

 Fisher provides injury update ahead of Game 2

Heading into the week of practice, Fisher provided an injury update on his squad. Cornerback Jaylon Jones and defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson will be back this week. Both missed Saturday’s season opener but will play against the Mountaineers.

Both players are back at the right time, with Appalachian State fresh off an offensive explosion against North Carolina. Needing to mount a monster comeback at home, they were able to rip off 40 fourth-quarter points. The Mountaineers set all kinds of offensive records for their performance as well. A big test is coming this week.

Getting two players back such as Jackson and Jones will be huge moving forward, especially with a vital game coming up against Miami.

Flipping to the not-so-positive side, tight end Max Wright is a “question mark” this week. He was wearing a knee brace at Kyle Field during Saturday’s win.

Center Bryce Foster is also out for the Aggies, with Fisher not knowing his timeline to return. A starter on the offensive line last season as a freshman, getting Foster back and healthy will be crucial for Texas A&M moving forward.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.