With Jimbo Fisher assembling an elite staff, can Texas A&M football become SEC contenders in his first year in College Station?
Usually when a program fires its head coach, things look grim for the near future. In College Station, the case has been the exact opposite. Texas A&M decided to move on from Kevin Sumlin at the end of the 2017 season and hiring Jimbo Fisher provided fans some excitement.
Sure, the Aggies lost the Belk Bowl to Wake Forest, 55-52, but that doesn’t reflect on the brightness of the future under Fisher.
The former Florida State head coach is just four years removed from a national title and he’s already assembling the pieces necessary to put together another run at the crown. Although he didn’t quite leave after a stellar season with the Seminoles, he’s still one of the best coaches out there and has the talent around him to contend in the SEC.
You might be thinking, “Well, what about Auburn, Alabama and Georgia?”
The answer: What about them? Sure, Alabama has been the class of the conference every year, but Georgia rose to the top quickly under Kirby Smart and Auburn has been up-and-down under Gus Malzahn. There’s no reason Fisher can’t contend with those teams with the talent and resources he has.
In year one, though? Absolutely.
Just look at the team Fisher is inheriting. The Aggies did finish just 7-6 and 4-4 in conference play, but he has an improved defense, talented quarterback in Nick Starkel, Trayveon Williams at running back and an all-star cast of a coaching staff. Contention in 2018 is not out of the question.
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The hire of Mike Elko as defensive coordinator, poaching him from Notre Dame after just one season, shows that the Aggies are serious about winning — and winning now. Don’t be surprised to see this team playing for an SEC title next season.