Comparing Jimbo Fisher-Bobby Petrino marriage to Nick Saban-Lane Kiffin union

It’s shaping up to be a make-or-break year for Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M after missing out on a bowl game in 2022. The Aggies’ offense stalled in a big way, finishing 12th in the SEC in total offense and 13th in scoring.

So, Fisher took action with one of the most intriguing hires of the offseason. He brought in former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator as his seat heats up.

That decision is drawing comparisons to another SEC coach who made a shrewd hire at offensive coordinator.

“I’m going to make a parallel and give you an example. And the only reason I think it might be a little bit different is that the head coach that I’m going to use as an example was not an offensive-minded head coach, but he’s very much a control-minded head coach,” ESPN’s Matt Barrie said this week. “That’s Nick Saban. And I think we all looked around you’re like, ‘Wait a second. How in the hell is Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin going to work?

“‘How is he going to bring in Lane Kiffin, a guy that is his own offensive egomaniac, how is that going to work?'”

When Kiffin joined Saban at Alabama in 2014, he was just months removed from his infamous firing from USC. He found out about the decision after he arrived at the airport following a lopsided loss to Arizona State, and the team headed back to campus with Kiffin’s bags.

Joining forces with Saban worked out “famously well” for both sides, as Barrie said. Alabama won a national championship in 2015 and made another in 2016 before Kiffin was let go so he could take the Florida Atlantic job. Of course, Kiffin parlayed that into the Ole Miss job and maintains his special relationship with Saban.

Now, Fisher is taking a similarly unique path at OC. By bringing in Petrino — who had his own infamous firing after the motorcycle incident — he’s trying to catch lightning in a bottle just as Saban did with Kiffin. Petrino took Arkansas from a 5-7 record in 2008 to an 11-2 record in 2011. The offense also took strides, going from 21.9 points per game to 36.8 in that span.

The stakes are much higher for Fisher, though, after such a rough 2022 season. Add in the fact that the SEC is expanding to 16 teams next season, and the success of Petrino’s offense could determine what happens next for Fisher and Texas A&M, especially with his hefty buyout.

“I looked at this and I said, ‘Well, wait a second. Nick bringing in Lane Kiffin won national championships,'” Barrie said. “Is it possible that Jimbo put the ego aside a bit with another offensive-minded head coach who’s had a lot of success and said, ‘I’m gonna give this a run because we haven’t been able to catch Alabama?’

“Paul [Finebaum], Brian Kelly and LSU caught A&M in year one. Hugh Freeze is now at Auburn. This thing is not getting easier. Lane’s at Ole Miss. You’ve got Texas and Oklahoma coming in. You have to figure something out quicker. This will go down as one of the most expensive hires that didn’t work in college football history.”