Jimbo Fisher has yet to decide if he will remain with Florida State beyond this season, and university officials would like for the coach to make up his mind sooner rather than later.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reports that FSU officials are urging Fisher to make a decision about whether he will accept an offer to become the next head coach at Texas A&M or stay with the Seminoles. Fisher apparently wants to wait until after Florida State’s game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, but there is concern that he is hurting the team’s recruiting.
As Schlabach notes, three high school prospects — cornerback Houston Griffith, offensive lineman Verdis Brown, and safety Israel Mukuamu — announced on Twitter Wednesday night that they have decommitted from FSU and are opening up their recruitment again. That almost certainly has to do with reports that Texas A&M is prepared to make Fisher a massive offer and Fisher is leaning toward taking the job.
Fisher is currently the sixth-highest-paid coach in college football with an average annual salary of $5.7 million. He signed an extension with FSU last December which runs through 2024. If he leaves, he will owe FSU either $5 million or the total sum of his 10 assistant coaches who are not retained by the team’s new head coach.
While Fisher was aggressively pursued by another top program in recent years and ultimate chose to stick with the Seminoles, he recently ruffled some feathers when he noted how Florida State is lagging behind with its football facilities. School officials have agreed to explore the possibility of committing $60 million to a new facility, but Fisher is reportedly unhappy with the progress that has been made toward that plan.
Texas A&M fired Kevin Sumlin over the weekend. If Fisher stays at Florida State, the Aggies will likely turn their attention to Oregon’s Willie Taggart. Should Fisher leave, Taggart could become FSU’s top target.
