‘This is the job I want’

As soon as news broke this weekend that LSU was moving on from Head Coach Ed Orgeron, knowledgeable industry professionals lazy college football journalists instantly began floating the idea that Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher could be a prime candidate for the job. Regardless of whether any of these theories had any basis in fact, the question got asked on the second question of Fisher’s weekly media availability, and his answer was about as emphatic as you’ll hear from a college football head coach.

“Now listen, I’m gonna say this right now...I love being here. This is the job I want...I’ve got an unbelievable chancellor, an unbelievable president, and unbelievable AD, we’re building something, we’re recruiting great players. I really believe we’re in the process of building something great. I plan on being here and fulfilling this contract...My family has roots here, I got ranches here, I hunt here, I love everything about this place. And I say that, because listen, there’s nothing going on there, nothing happening there, and I don’t want to be disrespectful to anybody else. I coached there, it was a great place, we won national championships. It’s one of the best places in America, it’s a wonderful place. I love A&M and I plan on being at A&M here and fulfilling my whole contract. I love everything about this place. And let me tell you something else, the way this place has embraced me and my family, and including our foundation? The things that are going on with our foundation, the way the people have embraced it, the way people have done everything here in College Station, I love everything about the people here, the administration here, and the people in charge here who run this organization, and I love it here. That’s about as...I don’t know how else I can say it. That’s about how else I can say it.”

Compare that to this video of Jimbo being interviewed at Florida State prior to taking the job at A&M:

In today’s comments, there was no “I want to focus on the season/next game,” no “I don’t comment on other jobs,” etc. And yes, Jimbo did famously said he planned to be at FSU “a long time” in 2016 (when rumors about the LSU job opening also surfaced. But today he didn’t give a vague indeterminate timeframe, he said he wanted to fulfill his contract (which runs through 2031).

Even more than his words, Jimbo’s tone said everything. This wasn’t a coach squirming or evading a question. He was passionate, and he was emphatic.

And despite how much A&M’s rivals would like to see him gone, he seems to be staying in College Station for the foreseeable future.