As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Jimbo Fisher.
Jimbo Fisher’s coaching experience (52 years old)
The national championship-winning coach at Florida State has gone 81-23 since taking over for the legendary Bobby Bowden in 2010. Before that, he was Bowden’s heir apparent and offensive coordinator for the Seminoles where he excelled. Prior to that run, he was a Nick Saban disciple, winning a championship at LSU as an offensive coordinator and coaching the Tigers from 2000-06. Early in his career, he had stints at Auburn and Cincinnati. He began his career at Birmingham’s Samford University as an assistant from 1988-92. With a Bowden-Saban pedigree, that’s strong.
GRT’s taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level One – National Champion (but with a bit of a “recency” problem.)
Why the Tennessee Vols might want Jimbo Fisher
Just last year, Fisher was one of the most coveted coaches in all of the country. He hasn’t forgotten how to coach just because Florida State lost its dynamic quarterback Deondre Francois and is suffering a down year. If the Vols could go in this direction, he’d be a slam dunk, no matter if several FSU fans want him out. Maybe some of the shine has worn off, but he isn’t that far removed from a championship, and he has done great work in Tallahassee. He could bring a staff that would include Jay Graham and even possibly Randy Sanders (though he was just let go). That not appealing to you? How about Sal Sunseri!! All jokes aside, Fisher is a very good coach and an elite recruiter. Plus, he’d be a lot more appreciated at UT than at FSU.
Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Jimbo Fisher
Fisher’s 2017 season is a bit of a black eye. And he also dealt with plenty of criticism for his win-at-all-costs mentality during the Jameis Winston era. Of course, when you haven’t won very much like UT, you start compromising a little. There has been some criticism of Fisher being set in his offensive ways, but that formula has been successful with elite athletes. Can he have the same sort of recruiting acumen at UT that he has at FSU? If so, some of his character concerns may not matter all that much; it isn’t like he’s ever been in any real trouble with the NCAA.
