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Well, Fisher to A&M?
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Found on shaggy////FSU writer explains the situation pretty well.
When we first heard several weeks ago that Texas A&M was going to come hard after Jimbo Fisher, one of the factors that gave it some legitimacy was Fishers relationship with Aggies athletics director Scott Woodward.
Since the two had worked together at LSU back in the mid-2000s, it stood to reason that they had a good relationship and a trust factor that would make the schools offer more appealing. And if Fisher ends up taking the job, that relationship likely will play a substantial role.
But if he doesnt -- and at this point we dont know for sure which way this thing is heading -- Mr. Woodward is going to have a whole lot of explaining to do for the fine folks in College Station, Texas.
Not only would Woodward have struck out with his top candidate, but he likely would have fallen for the same rope-a-dope from Fishers agent, Jimmy Sexton, as his former employer did each of the last two years.
If the supremely confident tone of the reports out of Texas this past week -- all claiming that Fisher has essentially agreed to become the Aggies head coach -- sound familiar, its because theyre nearly identical to the ones we heard out of Louisiana in both 2015 and 2016.
Reporters in Baton Rouge and New Orleans were absolutely convinced each of the last two years that Jimbo Fisher was signed, sealed and delivered to the Tigers. They werent just speculating; they were sure of it. They had heard it from high-level boosters and others around the athletics program.
But at the 11th hour, Fisher told the Tigers, Thanks, but no thanks.
Two times.
Now here we are one year later, and the media in Texas are just as confident about Texas A&M landing Fisher as the Louisiana media were about LSU. Everyone from the Houston Chronicle to local television stations to team websites have reported that Fisher is the Aggies top choice and that a blockbuster deal is on the table for him to leave Florida State.
* COACHING NUGGETS: The latest scoop on the Fisher and Texas A&M situation
The Houston Chronicle went so far as to report that a handshake agreement has been in place for some time.
While we all get a chuckle when reporters get stories wrong -- I made plenty of jokes at the expense of those LSU reporters -- the reality is they arent just making this stuff up. Someone is telling it to them.
And those sources likely arent fabricating these stories, either. Im sure the boosters and/or administrators who are leaking out information right now fully believe that Jimbo is on his way to College Station. Just like their predecessors had been told he was coming to Baton Rouge. They more than likely have gotten some sort of wink and nod from Sexton along the way -- or he at least has done an excellent job of stringing them along.
But if Sexton and Fisher's history with negotiations tells us anything, its that a deal isnt a deal until the ink is dry. Bone dry.
And youd think Scott Woodward would have known better.
As we started down this road again with Fisher and Texas A&M, I was reminded of how things went when Fisher first entered talks to become FSUs offensive coordinator in 2006 -- more than a decade ago. University officials seemed certain for weeks that Fisher was going to join Bobby Bowdens staff in an effort to help the coaching legend turn around his struggling program.
Then on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, everything came to a screeching halt.
The deal that FSU officials had negotiated with Sexton still hadnt been signed by Fisher. He reportedly was considering an offer to join Nick Sabans staff at Alabama and other openings, and he wasnt being as responsive as the Seminoles would have liked. Then-FSU President T.K. Wetherell and others were said to be incensed by the delays.
So, on that Saturday night -- at about 9 p.m. -- the university released a statement from Bowden announcing that the Seminoles offer was off the table.
"Florida State will move forward to pursue other options among a number of outstanding coaches who want to share in FSU's traditions and values," Bowden said at the time. "Coach Fisher will be a benefit to whatever organization he ends up with, and we will secure the best coach available to lead our offense."
It was the beginning of a couple of wild and wacky days. In the end, everything got smoothed over and Fisher signed the deal. But it also was a sign of things to come.
As I wrote last week, FSU officials and Fishers agent have danced to this same tune nearly every year since hes been here. A new school comes calling, Sexton acquires an offer, FSU responds with concessions, and the Noles keep Fisher in place for at least another year.
I went on to say in that column that I figured this one would be different. If Texas A&M really was planning to offer Fisher $7 million or $8 million a year, as reports from Texas have suggested, there would be no way FSU would try to match that. Not after a 5-6 season in which the Seminoles played eight teams that would go on to become bowl eligible and went 2-6 in those eight games.
The good news, from what we're hearing, is it doesn't sound like that will be a sticking point. As of right now, we don't believe Sexton and Fisher are going to focus on a bump in his salary. What they'll likely push for instead is more facilities upgrades and more money for the ever-increasing pool used to hire assistant coaches.
But even that could be a tough sell right now. That money has to come from somewhere, and donors aren't exactly lining up to write checks for a program that started out No. 3 and is still fighting for bowl eligibility in late November.
How it plays out from here is really anybody's guess.
Will FSU President John Thrasher and athletics director Stan Wilcox be willing to tell Sexton that theyre in no mood for negotiations? Would they be willing to call his potential bluff, if that means letting a national championship-winning head coach walk out the door? Or will the Seminoles figure out a way to make some concessions and keep him happy for another 12 or 24 months?
While its easy for those of us on the outside to say wed tell Fisher and Sexton to go pound sand in this situation, the reality is there are no easy choices.
If you let Fisher walk and your next hire doesnt have immediate success, you will encounter a world of second-guessing and potentially do short-term damage to the program. If you make concessions to Fisher now, after a season like this, then youve basically told an employee that his performance could fail to meet expectations, but youll still do anything he asks because you cant stomach the thought of him leaving.
Good luck managing that situation going forward.
As for predicting what FSU will do, I really could see it going either way. I cant imagine Thrasher and company are enamored with the idea of starting a coaching search right now. This university hasnt had to do that in football in over 40 years.
On the flip side, Thrasher didnt accomplish all he has in life by operating out of fear. And if the requests made by Sexton and Fisher aren't reasonable given the current climate, then they might not have much of a choice.
Its going to be an interesting few days.
It always is when it comes to negotiating with Jimmy Sexton and Jimbo Fisher.
Contact managing editor Ira Schoffel at ira@warchant.com and follow @IraSchoffel on Twitter.
When we first heard several weeks ago that Texas A&M was going to come hard after Jimbo Fisher, one of the factors that gave it some legitimacy was Fishers relationship with Aggies athletics director Scott Woodward.
Since the two had worked together at LSU back in the mid-2000s, it stood to reason that they had a good relationship and a trust factor that would make the schools offer more appealing. And if Fisher ends up taking the job, that relationship likely will play a substantial role.
But if he doesnt -- and at this point we dont know for sure which way this thing is heading -- Mr. Woodward is going to have a whole lot of explaining to do for the fine folks in College Station, Texas.
Not only would Woodward have struck out with his top candidate, but he likely would have fallen for the same rope-a-dope from Fishers agent, Jimmy Sexton, as his former employer did each of the last two years.
If the supremely confident tone of the reports out of Texas this past week -- all claiming that Fisher has essentially agreed to become the Aggies head coach -- sound familiar, its because theyre nearly identical to the ones we heard out of Louisiana in both 2015 and 2016.
Reporters in Baton Rouge and New Orleans were absolutely convinced each of the last two years that Jimbo Fisher was signed, sealed and delivered to the Tigers. They werent just speculating; they were sure of it. They had heard it from high-level boosters and others around the athletics program.
But at the 11th hour, Fisher told the Tigers, Thanks, but no thanks.
Two times.
Now here we are one year later, and the media in Texas are just as confident about Texas A&M landing Fisher as the Louisiana media were about LSU. Everyone from the Houston Chronicle to local television stations to team websites have reported that Fisher is the Aggies top choice and that a blockbuster deal is on the table for him to leave Florida State.
* COACHING NUGGETS: The latest scoop on the Fisher and Texas A&M situation
The Houston Chronicle went so far as to report that a handshake agreement has been in place for some time.
While we all get a chuckle when reporters get stories wrong -- I made plenty of jokes at the expense of those LSU reporters -- the reality is they arent just making this stuff up. Someone is telling it to them.
And those sources likely arent fabricating these stories, either. Im sure the boosters and/or administrators who are leaking out information right now fully believe that Jimbo is on his way to College Station. Just like their predecessors had been told he was coming to Baton Rouge. They more than likely have gotten some sort of wink and nod from Sexton along the way -- or he at least has done an excellent job of stringing them along.
But if Sexton and Fisher's history with negotiations tells us anything, its that a deal isnt a deal until the ink is dry. Bone dry.
And youd think Scott Woodward would have known better.
As we started down this road again with Fisher and Texas A&M, I was reminded of how things went when Fisher first entered talks to become FSUs offensive coordinator in 2006 -- more than a decade ago. University officials seemed certain for weeks that Fisher was going to join Bobby Bowdens staff in an effort to help the coaching legend turn around his struggling program.
Then on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, everything came to a screeching halt.
The deal that FSU officials had negotiated with Sexton still hadnt been signed by Fisher. He reportedly was considering an offer to join Nick Sabans staff at Alabama and other openings, and he wasnt being as responsive as the Seminoles would have liked. Then-FSU President T.K. Wetherell and others were said to be incensed by the delays.
So, on that Saturday night -- at about 9 p.m. -- the university released a statement from Bowden announcing that the Seminoles offer was off the table.
"Florida State will move forward to pursue other options among a number of outstanding coaches who want to share in FSU's traditions and values," Bowden said at the time. "Coach Fisher will be a benefit to whatever organization he ends up with, and we will secure the best coach available to lead our offense."
It was the beginning of a couple of wild and wacky days. In the end, everything got smoothed over and Fisher signed the deal. But it also was a sign of things to come.
As I wrote last week, FSU officials and Fishers agent have danced to this same tune nearly every year since hes been here. A new school comes calling, Sexton acquires an offer, FSU responds with concessions, and the Noles keep Fisher in place for at least another year.
I went on to say in that column that I figured this one would be different. If Texas A&M really was planning to offer Fisher $7 million or $8 million a year, as reports from Texas have suggested, there would be no way FSU would try to match that. Not after a 5-6 season in which the Seminoles played eight teams that would go on to become bowl eligible and went 2-6 in those eight games.
The good news, from what we're hearing, is it doesn't sound like that will be a sticking point. As of right now, we don't believe Sexton and Fisher are going to focus on a bump in his salary. What they'll likely push for instead is more facilities upgrades and more money for the ever-increasing pool used to hire assistant coaches.
But even that could be a tough sell right now. That money has to come from somewhere, and donors aren't exactly lining up to write checks for a program that started out No. 3 and is still fighting for bowl eligibility in late November.
How it plays out from here is really anybody's guess.
Will FSU President John Thrasher and athletics director Stan Wilcox be willing to tell Sexton that theyre in no mood for negotiations? Would they be willing to call his potential bluff, if that means letting a national championship-winning head coach walk out the door? Or will the Seminoles figure out a way to make some concessions and keep him happy for another 12 or 24 months?
While its easy for those of us on the outside to say wed tell Fisher and Sexton to go pound sand in this situation, the reality is there are no easy choices.
If you let Fisher walk and your next hire doesnt have immediate success, you will encounter a world of second-guessing and potentially do short-term damage to the program. If you make concessions to Fisher now, after a season like this, then youve basically told an employee that his performance could fail to meet expectations, but youll still do anything he asks because you cant stomach the thought of him leaving.
Good luck managing that situation going forward.
As for predicting what FSU will do, I really could see it going either way. I cant imagine Thrasher and company are enamored with the idea of starting a coaching search right now. This university hasnt had to do that in football in over 40 years.
On the flip side, Thrasher didnt accomplish all he has in life by operating out of fear. And if the requests made by Sexton and Fisher aren't reasonable given the current climate, then they might not have much of a choice.
Its going to be an interesting few days.
It always is when it comes to negotiating with Jimmy Sexton and Jimbo Fisher.
Contact managing editor Ira Schoffel at ira@warchant.com and follow @IraSchoffel on Twitter.
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