Texas A&M dismissed football coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday and will pay him more than $77 million due on his contract.
His termination is effective immediately.
USA Today reported the buyout is $77.6 million, by far the highest in college football history.
“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President [Mark] Welsh and then Chancellor [John] Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision. We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement.
Bjork did not name an interim coach but was scheduled to hold a news conference later Sunday.
The Aggies became bowl-eligible on Saturday with their 51-10 win over Mississippi State, moving to 6-4 (4-3 Southeastern Conference). However, administrators and alumni expected to contend for College Football Playoff championships when Texas A&M plucked him away from Florida State on Dec. 4, 2017, and gave him a 10-year, $75 million contract.
That first contract was replaced on Sept. 1, 2021, with a 10-year, fully guaranteed deal worth nearly $95 million.
Yahoo Sports reported that the Texas A&M University Board of Regents met in executive session on Thursday, with Fisher’s future part of their discussions.
At the time of the contract extension, the Aggies were 26-10 under Fisher, including two nine-win seasons. Since then, they are 19-15 for an overall 45-25 record.
The amount to buy out Fisher’s contract will exceed the total of $72 million that 15 schools paid to coaches who were fired last year. The previous highest buyout at a public university was the $21 million Auburn agreed to pay Gus Malzahn after he was fired late in 2020, per USA Today.
Fisher, 58, coached eight seasons (2010-17) at Florida State, where he replaced the legendary Bobby Bowden. He left with an 83-23 record and a 2013 BCS championship, with the Seminoles posting an undefeated (14-0) season.
The Aggies have two remaining regular-season games — Saturday against Abilene Christian and Nov. 25 at LSU.
