Out of all the possible replacements for Mack Brown at Texas, Jimbo Fisher might be the candidate fans know the least about. Florida State is Fisher's first head coaching job, and while he's been on the scene for some time, he's flown largely under the radar.
BIO
Fisher got his start as a QBs coach under Terry Bowden at DIII Samford, and followed Bowden to Auburn in the mid-90's. While there, Fisher caught the eye of Nick Saban, who brought him to LSU when he took over in 2000. Fisher worked with several successful QBs in Louisiana, and it was under his guidance that JaMarcus Russell looked like a top NFL prospect.
When Saban left for the Miami Dolphins in 2005, Fisher stayed to work with Les Miles. After an eventual promotion to offensive coordinator, in 2007 Fisher was hired as Florida State's OC/QB coach and coach-in-waiting for Bobby Bowden. When Bowden retired after the 2009 season, Fisher took over, and the Seminoles have gone 44-10 with two ACC Championships and three straight bowl wins under his watch.
An offensive guru and an excellent evaluator of talent, Fisher gets a lot of attention for winning the Jameis Winston sweepstakes - however, it's the deep, talented group of skill players Fisher has brought in to compliment Winston that have made FSU such a dangerous team.
WHY HE'S INTERESTED
In the world of college football, Texas is as big as it gets. While FSU is a top program with plenty of resources, Texas is a gold mine in the middle of an elite talent factory. While Florida State can offer Fisher plenty of money, Texas can offer more.
Throw in the whispers about FSU's discipline problems and the numerous alleged NCAA violations under Fisher's watch, and there's also the prospect of a Pete Carroll-style escape before sanctions hit.
WHY TEXAS IS INTERESTED
Fisher's resume speaks for itself. Over the past four seasons, only Nick Saban has won more, and with Saban off the table (or is he?), Fisher is the next best thing.
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE
Fisher can't discuss the Texas job until after the National Championship game on January 6th. If Texas can sit tight until then and doesn't reach advanced talks with anyone else, they'll call Fisher's agent with an opening offer. Fisher recently signed a contract extension with FSU that pays him over $4m per season, so Texas will likely open with a $5m/year offer that includes a number of performace-based bonuses.
If the two sides can reach a salary agreement and Texas finds a way to buy out Fisher's contract, we'd expect an official announcement in mid-to-late January. While there's still a long way to go in Texas' pursuit of Fisher, we're confident that he'll be a key player in the coaching search until it reaches a conclusion.
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