Paul Finebaum on Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: 'The bull’s-eye is on their back'

Paul Finebaum believes Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M are marked. The expectations will be huge for the Aggies, and opponents will want nothing more than to be the thorn in the side of Texas A&M moving forward.

In an appearance on WJOX 94.5’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum revealed his thoughts on the weight of expectations for Fisher and Texas A&M.

“Well I think this fall, they have to be better than last year. But what this really does is ratchet up the pressure in the future,” stated Finebaum. “You know the stats. I think over the last ten years, every school that’s had a No. 1 signing class has played for the national championship. And I think that’s what the expectations are going to be, two or three years from now. I think this year has to be better than last year. But overall if we’re sitting here three years from now and you’re asking the question when is Jimbo Fisher going to get to the final four, that’s a serious problem for that program.

“I think he has a bull’s eye on his back. He’s helped to create some of that by his going after Lane Kiffin during that explosive press conference a couple months ago. But ultimately, they have to win. The money speaks to that.”

Paul Finebaum recognizes that Jimbo Fisher will be expected to deliver on the reason he was brought to Texas A&M sooner rather than later — to win a championship. If he doesn’t come close, his time with the Aggies — and the confidence of the fanbase in him — could run out.

Jimbo Fisher updates Texas A&M quarterback competition following scrimmage

If Texas A&M is going to match their expectations, Paul Finebaum and Jimbo Fisher know which quarterback lines up under center means the world. After the Aggies first scrimmage last week, Fisher spoke with reporters about what he liked about what each of his quarterbacks showed him.

While Haynes King and LSU transfer Max Johnson are the top two candidates to start this season, Fisher also complimented true freshman Conner Weigman. The Cypress, Texas, native and five-star recruit was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

“They all three made plays,” Fisher said. “All three got rotations with ones and twos and threes and different groups. We started off slow because the defense is really good, which kept us off the field. I thought that’s when Haynes started to come out and make some really good plays. Later Max came out and did a really nice job and had some plays. He has a couple of mistakes here and there on reads. We’ve got to get better.

“I thought Conner, for his first scrimmage, was excellent. He got some time with the ones and twos. I thought he handled both of those situations extremely well. All guys we work two minutes, we work red zone, we work goal line, we worked all kinds of things. Different situations in the game. All three guys had some really bright moments. Some things they’ve got to work on to stay more consistent. Allow us not to get behind the eight ball.”

King began last year as the starting quarterback, throwing for 292 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the season opener against Kent State. However, he suffered a leg fracture in Week 2 against Colorado that ended his season and allowed Zach Calzada to take over. Calzada transferred to Auburn this offseason, presumably opening the door for King to return as the starter when he is healthy.

But then A&M added Johnson, putting King’s hold on the job in question. Johnson was named the LSU starter last preseason after Myles Brennan suffered an injury. He went on to throw for 2,814 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2021 as the Tigers finished with a 6-7 record.

Jimbo Fisher will continue to evaluate the quarterback competition as the Aggies finish up their spring practices. His final chance of spring to see the players in action will come April 9 at Texas A&M’s annual spring game.