A&M fires JImbo Fisher

nolan · November 12, 2023, 5:09pm

Texas A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher today. He’ll be paid a $76M buyout, double the largest previous buyout, because he had signed a 10 year contract in 2021 to keep him from going to LSU.

nolan · November 12, 2023, 10:17pm

Boise State has fired its coach

Penn State fired its OC.

nolan · November 13, 2023, 4:20pm

Mississippi State has fired its coach.

nolan · November 13, 2023, 5:07pm

Brady Hoke (San Diego State) is retiring at the end of the season.

1462.minnesotans4neb · November 13, 2023, 6:45pm

Perhaps the Gophers should hire him!
Roger Lohr

nolan · November 13, 2023, 6:52pm

Which ‘him’? And can he row the boat?

1493.papenhagen17 · November 13, 2023, 7:44pm

There has to be more that I don’t see. Why are, and have been for a few years, teams firing their HC, and others, with two games left? I can see that if it is for cause but if a team has come two games from the end why not just let them finish the season? It doesn’t affect me one way or the other. I have just wondered.

John Papenhagen

nolan · November 13, 2023, 8:53pm

At many schools, especially public ones, there are procedural hurdles that have to be dealt with before a vacancy can be declared and an official hiring process begun, including advertising the opening. At Nebraska I believe they have to get it approved as a ‘hiring emergency’ or the process could take two months or longer to open the position, especially when there are hiring freezes in place, as there often are in these budget-limited days. (I’ve heard of vacancies at UNL in roles most people would consider critical that took over a year before they could start interviewing candidates.)

Now, that doesn’t mean schools can’t be preparing short lists of candidates, or possibly even making behind-the-scenes contacts via third parties ahead of then.

Wasn’t it Bill Moos who said that every AD has a list in his desk drawer of the coaches he’d like to be able to hire if he could?

By waiting until after the regular season ends, usually on Thanksgiving weekend, that shortens the time between when the firing is announced and when the early signing period begins. Schools may feel that having an extra two weeks for the remaining staff to contact the recruits and convince them that even with a new coach (or possibly a whole new coaching staff) there are still a lot of plusses at the school might help keep the defections down, or at least give time for players to think before they react.

But who knows if last year’s Colorado upheaval has reset that process?

And as Shakespeare wrote: “If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly;” (Macbeth) He was referring to an assassination of the king, which at some schools is tantamount to firing the football coach.

nolan · November 19, 2023, 4:16pm

Syracuse fired its coach today after 8 seasons and a 41-55 record. How long and how fast will the coaching carousel spin this year? Can any teams grab the brass ring?

1483.1jeffbrown55 · November 19, 2023, 5:57pm

It sure doesn’t seem like Nebraska did last year…

nolan · November 19, 2023, 6:05pm

I think I’d rather have had the season Nebraska is having than the one Colorado wound up with. Except for Michigan every game had winning chances.

Rhule has won 5 games, I think the over/under was 5.5 wins. Injuries certainly hurt, but every team gets those.

I’m cautiously optimistic about next year, even though the schedule is harder than this year’s (and that’ll be the case every year in the new Big 10+8.) Roster upgrades will tell the tale.

1478.gzimmerman1953 · November 19, 2023, 7:19pm

I’ll be more optimistic if Rhule gets rid of Satterfield and replaces him with a quality OC.

BTW, the Huskers just scored in the 14th minute and lead Cal-Irvine 1-0.