Jimbo Fisher has called offensive plays throughout his five seasons as head coach at Texas A&M, but the belief is that he will give up that responsibility now that he has added Bobby Petrino to his staff. If that is the plan, Fisher is not ready to admit it publicly.
Fisher was asked on Monday if Petrino will call plays this year. His response was not exactly a “yes.”
Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher wouldn't answer if OC Bobby Petrino will call plays: "I'm not going to get into that. Bobby was hired for a reason. Tremendous guy. Tremendous football mind. Hopefully he'll call the game & have suggestions."
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 17, 2023
“I’m not going to get into that. Bobby was hired for a reason. Tremendous guy. Tremendous football mind. Hopefully he’ll call the game and have suggestions,” Fisher said.
That makes it sound like Fisher is not ready to completely remove himself from the playcalling picture. Whatever the plan is, we can probably assume it has been relayed to Petrino and Petrino is on board with it.
Texas A&M averaged just 22.8 points per game last season, which ranked 102nd in the nation. The Aggies finished 5-7 and there were some rumblings that Fisher might be fired. It is possible he was pressured into hiring a new OC, but Petrino must feel genuinely wanted in College Station. Otherwise, we doubt he would have left the previous OC job he accepted.
Petrino was previously the head coach at Missouri State since 2020. He was the head coach at Louisville from 2014-2018. That was his second stint as head coach of the Cardinals. He was the head coach at Western Kentucky, Arkansas and of the Atlanta Falcons in between his stints at Louisville. Petrinos last job as an assistant was in 2002.
Many have wondered if we will see a personality clash between Fisher and Petrino, who are both used to being in control. Fisher’s response to the playcalling question will only further that narrative.
