I'd Like to share this "Aggie Classic" written by Texags.com own publisher, Billy Liucci, on its' 3 Year Anniversary
Enjoy the Humor LAC
By Billy Liucci
September 1, 2021
Key notes from Billy Liucci interview
You're going to see this contract be 10 years, starting from now, with an average right around $9 million per year. You're starting the existing deal over with a significant raise to make him the second-highest paid coach in the SEC behind Nick Saban and one of the highest-paid in college football.
This is a great deal. We're going to look at it again as a great bargain.
We've been talking about it for the last three years and how wrong people were the first time. Now they're doing it again.
People don't seem to understand the no-buyout thing, and that makes me laugh. The buyout is $9 million a year, $90 million guaranteed.
Nick Saban doesn't look like he's going to retire anytime soon, but say Alabama comes after Jimbo Fisher in three years when Saban is done. That's the only school that could take Fisher with the money that Texas A&M is paying. If Alabama does that, it means the next three years have been really good in Aggieland.
A buyout does nothing. When was the last time a school didn't hire a coach they wanted because of a buyout? Do you think a one-year buyout, another $9 million, would keep A&M from going to get a coach? The buyout is $90 million. It also keeps the coach here. It's like the SEC not having a grant of rights. The SEC basically says, "You want to leave? Go."
I don't think there is any danger of Fisher leaving. The danger is losing money.
If it doesn't work, you lose money. Everyone is making a big deal about it, but it's like me and Olin living in the same neighborhood. If I saw him driving a Maserati, that's Olin's business. Not mine. The way the media is acting would be like me walking around the neighborhood calling Olin an idiot for spending that money on a car. Who's the idiot in that scenario?
A&M is three years into this, and they have a pretty good idea of what they're investing in. People are saying it's only one good year, but it's not. It's one great year and three years of progress. Jimbo's first year was a nice, strong season. They finished ranked and won a bowl game, playing great football at the end of the year. His third year was a top-five finish, an Orange Bowl championship and a legitimate argument to be in the playoff.
In 12 years as a coach, Fisher has a national title, a playoff berth and another top-five finish. He probably has five top-ten finishes in 12 years to go along with that. At what point do you look at that resume and say that Fisher is an elite head coach in this game? He is. It's not debatable. Texas A&M has a coach that is among the very best, the top five, in this game.
If you look at what Fisher is doing in recruiting and don't feel extremely confident in your investment, I don't know what to tell you. Regarding the timing, coaches don't like negotiating during the season. What if Texas A&M reached the playoff this year and LSU spiraled? I think Texas A&M did the right thing.
We got our guy, and he's locked up for as long as he wants to coach. This guy won a national title. He won 27 of 28 games with Jameis Winston in 2013 and 2014. People want to say it was all Winston, but you can't take away a guy's best player. If you take away Vince Young, what did Mack Brown do? Take away Joe Burrow, Ed O doesn't win a championship.
I know what Dan Mullen has done, and I know what Jim Harbaugh has done. What in the hell have they done that Jimbo hasn't done? Mullen won a New Year's Six game, and Florida caught some criticism for that extension.
The blowback shows how big the spotlight is on Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher.
For the people that say A&M isn't relevant, you're hearing most of that from Texas, Oklahoma and some from LSU. They're whining fake tough guys.
If you say a negative thing about Oklahoma, the Sooners go insane. Somebody asked me if I'd rather have Lincoln Riley or Jimbo at Texas A&M, at the answer is Jimbo. Riley is a good coach, but he coaches in a league where he has five times the talent as anybody he plays. They're both good coaches, but it's apples to oranges.
Jimbo Fisher is a great fit at Texas A&M.
Texas might be the most delusional fanbase in American sports. They're loud on Twitter.
They get these talking points, and no matter how bad their team is or how good things are going in College Station, they cannot come off their talking points. How much money did they pay to fire Herman and hire Steve Sarkisian? We know what Sark has done. You want to boil it down to Fisher not winning a title in three years? You spent $75 million to hire Sarkisian.
LSU is just scared. They had that great year and smoked the Aggies in 2019, but they've lost two of three to Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher is the guy they've tried to hire twice. Ed Orgeron is a trainwreck of a coach, and they know it.
They were hoping they could possibly hire Fisher at some point, and the Aggies just put up a wall around College Station.
A day ago, what was the big cry coming out of Austin, Baton Rouge and Norman? That Fisher would be in Baton Rouge in a year. That was the battle cry from those three fanbases, and they wouldn't shut up about it.
Today, 10 years and $90 million later, A&M is stupid for paying it? It's a constantly moving target.
And that's why aggie is and always will aggie.
Their last and only Natty in any major sport is closer to the "Civil War" than to present day.
