It would be tough to argue that Texas A&M's luring of Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State to lead the Aggies program was the best hire of the off season in college football.
They were able to do it in large part because of Fisher's previous relationship with current Aggie athletic director Scott Woodward, as well as the fully guaranteed richest contract in college football history at $75 million. The seemingly limitless additional resources they have at their disposal in College Station of course doesn't hurt either.
Word broke of Jimbo's intention to leave Talahassee for Aggie-land just a day before their season finale against Louisiana-Monroe, leaving longtime assistant and assistant head coach / defensive line coach Odell Haggins to lead the team on an interim basis before they eventually got Oregon's Willie Taggart to come home to his dream job, one had to wonder what kind of excitement had to be emulating from Woodward who had been working tirelessly to get a deal in place.
Well as Woodward shared with the Dallas News, it didn't exactly feel like one may expect.
"It was one of those things where you want to be excited about everything, but it was one of those things where I was too tired to celebrate," Woodward shared.
As for why it wasn't more exciting, Woodward noted, "It's just not who I am. I'm not one of those guys who lives his job and that's his whole identity."
Of course, the SEC will test even the most veteran of coaches, but Fisher will especially have his work cut out for him in year one with a big non-conference early season match up with Clemson September 2nd, and SEC slate that includes games at Alabama (week 4), at Arkansas (week 5), at South Carolina (week 7), followed by a bye week before games on the road at at Mississippi State and at Auburn.