Ross Bjork reveals key details on coaching search following Jimbo Fisher dismissal
Texas A&M parted ways with head coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, firing him in the midst of his sixth season with the program following the team’s 51-10 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.
The timing seems somewhat bizarre, with head coaches typically being fired following a disappointing loss and not after a dominant win that grants a team bowl eligibility, with Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork even admitting to the timing not being ideal.
But the timing will allow the Aggies to get a head start on finding a new head coach with two weeks remaining in the regular season, and hopefully for that head coach to get a jumpstart on recruiting and building out a coaching staff as well.
Bjork pulled back the curtain on the Aggies’ head coaching search in a press conference on Sunday, detailing what it will look like and who will be involved in finding Texas A&M’s 30th head coach.
“Our search will be comprehensive in nature,” Bjork said. “The timing does give us a chance to survey the landscape, test the marketplace, and zero in on top candidates. We will be diligent, confidential, and also efficient. I will use a football advisory group of key people that understand winning football, culture, and Texas A&M and what makes this place special. We will also utilize other resources like former players and industry experts along the way.”
Fisher ends his tenure with Texas A&M with a 45-25 record and a 27-21 record in the SEC for the Aggies, hired in December of 2017 with hopes of replicating his success as the head coach of Florida State where he led the Seminoles to three conference championship wins and a national title victory in the 2013-2014 season.
Despite achieving a pair of nine and eight-win seasons, Fisher was never able to lead the Aggies to an SEC Championship game appearance. As Bjork detailed what qualities he will be looking for in the program’s next head coach in an attempt to hopefully reach the championship heights Fisher was unable to attain.
“Here’s the profile of what we will work from,” Bjork ssaid. “A coach that has a program identity, great interpersonal skills, track record of player development, commitment to academics, a recruiting machine, supreme organizational skills, culture of discipline, passion for the game, proven winner, strong leadership skills, involved in the community, of course knowledge of X’s and O’s, and someone who understands and can also capitalize in today’s modern day college athletics.”
It seems like Ross Bjork and the Texas A&M program are looking for someone who checks all of the boxes, and it will surely be interesting to see who the Aggies land on in the near future to lead their team next season and beyond.