TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jimbo Fisher's time as the head coach of the Seminoles has ended even earlier than expected, Florida State University announced Friday.
Fisher will not coach Florida State's final regular season game of the season Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe and that Odell Haggins will be the interim head coach.
KPRC, the sister-station of WJXT reported Sunday that Fisher would take the Texas A&M job after coaching the Seminoles on Saturday, and reported Thursday that the contract with the Aggies was for 10 years and $75 million.
In his eight years in Tallahassee, Fisher's record was 83-23, including three straight Atlantic Coast Conference titles and the National Championship in 2013.
At Florida State, he was the fifth-highest paid college football coach in the nation, earning $5.7 million per year. At Texas A&M, he will be the second-highest paid coach.
This season began with high expectations. The Seminoles were ranked third in the country and opened the year against top-ranked Alabama. A loss to the Crimson Tide was made worse by the injury to starting quarterback Deondre Francois.
After losses to North Carolina State and Miami in the first month and a half of the season, the Seminoles season began to look unlike anything seen in Tallahassee in years.
Florida State hasn't finished the season with a losing record since 1976, Bobby Bowden's first year. Saturday, Florida State must beat Louisiana-Monroe to improve to 6-6 and become bowl eligible.
Fisher's departure leaves Florida State in an unusual position. They haven't been without a head coach since hiring Bobby Bowden in 1976. Bowden was replaced by Fisher, who was on staff in Tallahassee and was installed as the coach-in-waiting during Bowden's final years as head coach.
University reaction
Florida State president John Thrasher released this statement:
"Florida State University has one of the premier programs in college football and has had only two head football coaches in the past 40 years.
"Today, Jimbo Fisher informed me he has accepted an offer to become the next head football coach at Texas A&M University. Coach Fisher did an exceptional job as both an assistant coach at FSU and in the challenging role of successor to the legendary Bobby Bowden. I believe Texas A&M is getting one of the best coaches in college football. We appreciate all he has done for our program and wish him and his family great success moving forward.
"From the moment media reports began to circulate about our position, it became evident the job would attract great interest from a number of elite coaches, and we will move quickly to evaluate candidates from across the nation.
Our fans are the best in the country, loyal and passionate about developing student-athletes who are champions on and off the field. They’ve made Doak Campbell Stadium one of the most thrilling venues in all of college sports along with its storied traditions that represent the spirit and excellence of our distinguished university, athletically and academically. The excitement around Florida State is indisputable, and a tremendous opportunity awaits whoever is chosen as our new head football coach."
Florida State athletic director Stan Wilcox also released a statement:
President Thrasher and I have worked together through this challenging period while Coach Fisher was making a decision, and I appreciate the cooperation, support and leadership he has provided,” said Stan Wilcox, Florida State University Vice President and Director of Athletics.
"In the interim, I have appointed associate head coach and defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins to serve as our head coach versus ULM.
"As the president alluded to, we are extremely pleased by the quality of individuals who have already expressed interest in being the head coach at Florida State University. I am confident we will fill the position very soon.
"I would tell our supporters and fans the same thing that I told our team: we will hire a head coach that will lead Florida State to ACC and National Championships; one who will maintain our commitment to academic excellence; and one who will make you proud to be a Seminole.”
Who replaces Fisher?
One name has already surfaced as a potential candidate to replace Fisher, Oregon head coach Willie Taggart. USA Today reported on Wednesday that Florida state had already begun the vetting process of Taggart.
While he has only spent one year as the head coach of Oregon, he turned the Ducks around in his first year, improving a 4-8 team to 7-5 this year. He spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at South Florida where he took a team from two wins, to four, to eight to 10 in his final season.
Before coaching at South Florida, he coached as his alma mater, Western Kentucky, where he had starred as a quarterback from 1994-1998. Taggart possesses deep Florida connections. He was born in Bradenton and grew up in the state. In his final two seasons at USF, he guided the Bulls to a second place finish and a tie for first in the American Athletic Conference.