Nearly nine years ago, a 10-foot-tall Christmas tree was spotted in the trash outside of then-Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher's house. Hours later, he accepted the job at Texas A&M, cutting off a successful tenure with the Seminoles.
Fisher dominated the ACC after replacing the legendary Bobby Bowden, recording an 83-23 record with three ACC titles and the 2013 national championship. In the years since, the Seminoles have fallen into disarray.
It started with Willie Taggart, who was poached to Tallahassee after only a year at Oregon. With primarily Fisher's leftover players, Taggart recorded a miserable 9-12 record before he was fired in his second season. On Sunday, Mike Norvell was fired, setting up the third-highest buyout in the history of college football at $50.3 million. No. 1 on the list? Fisher at Texas A&M ($77.6 million).
Now, Fisher has become a rumored candidate to return to Florida State after a hiatus. But after he played a role in Florida State's collapse, would the Seminoles really pull the trigger?
Pro: He knows Florida State
Fisher emerged as one of the most respected college football coaches early in his career. Few coaches have worked for both Bowden and Nick Saban, and Fisher leveraged that know-how and relationships into a monstrous operation at Florida State.
If he returned to Tallahassee, he would come with major booster support and financial backing. Fisher would also be able to quickly mend relationships, especially by showing contrition for leaving in the first place.
Fisher is also a relentless recruiter and would quickly be able to recreate recruiting inroads in the state of Florida. Will it be enough with Miami and Georgia emerging as recruiting superpowers? That's the big question.
Con: Fisher might be washed
During his time at Texas A&M, Fisher emerged as one of the top recruiters in the country. The Aggies signed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, the best in history at the time, headlined by eight five-star players.
But when it comes to deploying talent, Fisher's tenure was largely a disaster. Fisher's offense is highly dependent on developing quarterbacks, and he continued to struggle in that regard. College football has moved even further away from traditional quarterback development over the years, which could make Fisher's complex offense even more of a liability.
Adding insult to injury, Fisher quarterbacks Conner Weigman (Houston) and Haynes King (Georgia Tech) both went on to become exceptional college quarterbacks. They just couldn't produce under Fisher.
Pro: Fisher would come cheap
When Texas A&M fired Fisher, they handed him a buyout of more than $70 million. Amazingly, the contract included zero mitigation, meaning that any money that he earns will be on top of the contract. Fisher will receive about $7 million annually from Texas A&M until 2031.
Because of the massive income streams, there's no need for Fisher to take on a major salary, like Norvell's $10 million mark. Instead, he could take a low-end ACC salary and put substantially more money into staff and roster, a major necessity as Florida State tries to get back on track.
Con: Fisher is stubborn
When Fisher considered leaving Florida State the first time, his complaints about the state of the program were rising. He wanted more resource and investment, especially from a facilities perspective.
When he got to Texas A&M, he was handed every resource he could possibly imagine and decided to build everything in his own image. For years, he refused to hire an offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. It only changed when the Aggies stunningly missed a bowl game.
Will Fisher be more agreeable in a second trip to Tallahassee, or will his unlimited supply of money to fall back on mean he'll feel insulated from critique?
Pro: Fisher wins
For all the complaints about Fisher's shortcomings, he has been a consistent winner. In 14 seasons, Fisher only twice finished below .500. During his final season at Florida State, an interim-coached team still reached a bowl game anyway. Six of his FSU teams finished with 10 wins, and he reached six BCS or CFP bowls.
Across his career, Fisher has a record of 128-48 with three conference championships. He holds a 75-37 mark in conference games, even finishing 27-21 in SEC play at Texas A&M despite late slippage. Few coaches come with more lines on their resume than Fisher.
Con: Can Fisher build an offensive line?
There is no greater indicator of program health in the modern era than offensive line play. It's the one position group that really can't be bought in the portal or slapped together; it's a pure developmental group.
Late in his tenure at Florida State, Fisher's offensive line groups started to suffer. That atrophy followed into the Taggart and Norvell eras, playing a significant role in the instability of this moment. Fisher's lines at Texas A&M were also inconsistent, especially after losing Josh Henson to USC.
Now, is Fisher ready to step up and deliver a national-quality offensive line to help develop a competent offense? Norvell failed to do it.
The Verdict
There are serious reasons to believe that Fisher could help turn the tide and bring stability back to Florida State. While the Seminoles will lose a big chunk of change to Mike Norvell's buyout, Fisher would help unite the booster community. He also can reassure FSU about many of the shortcomings that ended his first tenure.
At the same time, Fisher hasn't put together a productive offense in years. He would be taking over a Florida State that is much more disadvantaged than it was during his heyday. There's no guarantee that the Seminoles could spend at an elite level, especially after paying Norvell's hefty buyout.
Fisher is worth considering for the administration in Tallahassee, but the drawbacks are hard to ignore.
