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The former Florida State national championship coach – who left Texas A&M in 2023 with the biggest buyout check in college football history – made it clear this week that retirement isn’t in his playbook. Fisher’s ready to return to the sidelines when the right opportunity comes knocking.
“People have asked me that and I’ve enjoyed my family… but to answer your question, if the right situation comes along and it’s right… I’m 59, in great shape and healthy,” Fisher explained on the Trials To Triumph podcast. “I’ve had success everywhere we’ve ever been. The end at Texas A&M, it’s unfortunate, but we also had the highest-ranked team they ever had there in 2020. Our quarterbacks got hurt. We played with first-team, third-team… It was hard to get play-calling and guys around… Didn’t pan out like we needed to, but I still love it.”
His coaching résumé speaks for itself.
Fisher’s career winning percentage sits at an impressive 72%, with an even better 80% mark in playoff games. He’s hoisted national championship trophies both as a head coach and assistant, building his coaching philosophy alongside legends like Bobby Bowden and Nick Saban.
“Being able to [coach], I would,” Fisher told Freddie Stevenson, one of his former Seminoles players. “I miss the relationships with players. I would be very interested in still doing it. I still think I’ve got a lot to give. I’d like to get back out there.”
His recruiting prowess remains among the best in college football. At Florida State, Fisher consistently landed blue-chip talent, including Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston. He took that recruiting magic to College Station, where he assembled what many consider the highest-rated recruiting class ever in 2022 — a haul packed with defensive line studs that had Aggies fans dreaming big.
Texas A&M lured Fisher away from Tallahassee after the 2017 season, betting that his championship pedigree would finally deliver the program’s first national title since 1939. The school’s world-class facilities and seemingly unlimited resources seemed like the perfect match for Fisher’s ambitions.
But things didn’t quite click in the Lone Star State.
Fisher’s tenure with the Aggies lasted just six seasons, with the high-water mark coming during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign when A&M finished 9-1. When the team posted a losing record in 2022, Fisher found himself squarely on the hot seat. His last-ditch effort to save his job — handing over play-calling duties to former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino — wasn’t enough to save him.
While he waits for his next coaching opportunity, Fisher hasn’t strayed far from the game. He joined ACC Network last month as a weekly analyst ahead of the 2025 season. During his Florida State tenure, Fisher compiled an 83-23 record, captured three consecutive ACC championships (2012-14), and led the Seminoles to their 2014 BCS national title before adding two more 10-win seasons.
