For the first time since he left USC as an All-American safety in 1981, Jeff Fisher is back in college football. The longtime Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams head coach is expected to serve as an adviser to new Tennessee State head coach Eddie George.
In that role, Fisher will help George fill out his coaching staff and generally serve as a sounding board, dispensing advise from three decades in coaching to a head coach with zero coaching experience.
Turns out, the first role Fisher filled was... the head coach's. Via ProFootballTalk:
“I was still very lukewarm on the idea of taking the opportunity. I was probably at a 30 percent chance I would do it at that point,” George said.
But then George relayed to Fisher that he had been offered the job, despite his lack of coaching experience.
“I said, Hey man, I want to talk to you about this: Listen to this ridiculous idea: I just got approached with this opportunity to coach at TSU. Be the head coach at TSU. What do you think about that?” George said he asked Fisher.
“He says, ‘Oh, Eddie, that would be great! You would be awesome!'” George said.
This jives with our report from Sunday:
Additionally, sources told FootballScoop that TSU President Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover knew George from both living in the Nashville community and also liked Fisher’s willingness to be involved to help assemble a staff to overcome any concerns with George’s individual lack of coaching experience.
George said he was "ready to run through a brick wall" after speaking with Fisher, and Fisher will be asked to bring that same energy to filling out the Tennessee State staff roster.
Brandon Fisher, Jeff's son, is expected to serve as George's defensive coordinator, and Tennessee State is targeting Hue Jackson to be the club's offensive coordinator.
Fisher himself has been in talks to return to the college game, having not worked since 2016, but for now he's got a job as the head coach's head coach for one of the best players he ever coached. George was drafted by Fisher's Houston Oilers in 1996 and played eight seasons for the organization, eventually joining its ring of honor.
It's unlikely Tennessee State ever would've pursued Eddie George had Jackson State not hired Deion Sanders first, but George certainly wouldn't have taken the job if not for Fisher.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.