Where does Texas A&M go after firing head coach Jimbo Fisher?

The timing of the move is a bit of a surprise, considering it came a day after the Aggies became bowl-eligible with a dominant 51-10 win over Mississippi State. It's a costly decision, too, with Fisher earning a buyout of $76.8M. Nevertheless, his firing was expected for some time.

His job security has been a heated topic of discussion since in 2021, following a 9-1 season the previous year. The Aggies are 19-15 since the start of the 2021 season, including 11-11 over the past two seasons after being ranked No. 6 in the 2022 Associated Press preseason poll.

Per Rivals, Texas A&M has the ninth-ranked recruiting class in 2024. How Fisher's firing will impact that class remains to be seen. If the Aggies promote from within, such as giving offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino the head job and keeping most of the same staff, that might help retain their recruits. 

However, paying Fisher roughly $77M just to turn around and hire Petrino would be an underwhelming end to the Aggies' coaching search. While he's had success at multiple stops, including in the SEC at Arkansas, Petrino hasn't coached in the FBS since 2018, when he was 2-8 at Louisville. 

Texas A&M should think bigger. Thamel noted money clearly isn't an issue, and the Aggies will spare no expense to get a big-name coach.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will be someone to keep an eye on after he was attached to the Auburn opening last offseason. It might be more difficult to get coaches such as Oregon's Dan Lanning or Washington's Kalen DeBoer, and snatching another Florida State head coach (Mike Norvell) might be triggering for Aggies fans after the Fisher experience.

USC analyst and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is an interesting option, but he doesn't have the track record of success of other potential candidates. As desperate as Texas A&M is for a winner, we can't rule out a run at Urban Meyer, the former national championship-winning coach at Florida and Ohio State.

Firing Fisher at this point of the season allows the Aggies to get a head start on other teams in the coaching search, and they certainly need time to get the next hire right. After the underwhelming Fisher era, Texas A&M can't afford another miss.