Jimbo Fisher addresses Ainias Smith comments on lack of buy-in

After Texas A&M receiver Ainias Smith commented on a lack of “buy-in” from his teammates following a 17-14 upset loss to Appalachian State on Saturday, coach Jimbo Fisher felt the need to clarify.

Fisher said that Smith was not talking about a lack of commitment from the Aggies, but rather something that the coach harps on every day at practice.

“What he’s talking about is not bought-in to what we’re doing,” Fisher explained. “It’s just every detail of every practice rep. When you talk about bought-in, what we’re saying is if you take 150 reps during practice and you’re a young guy, sometimes you might think, ‘If each play I get it right a couple times but get it wrong once, it’s OK.’ Well, no. Buy-in for an older guy like him who understands the difference is every play of every practice is like a game.

“You learn how to practice. That’s what bought-in is. When you talk about bought-in, it’s not that they’re fighting the program. It’s just that their ability to strain for long periods of time has to grow and every practice rep has gotta be just like a game rep.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Texas A&M struggled on offense as the Mountaineers controlled time of possession Saturday. Appalachian State had the ball for 41:29 compared to just 18:17 for the Aggies. A&M also lost the turnover battle and finished under 100 yards in both passing and rushing.

The Aggies did everything they could to lose the game, and Fisher believes it comes down to bad practice habits. He used The Last Dance documentary on Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls as an example of how he wants every single player to approach practice.

“It’s like Michael Jordan and his documentary how guys hated and thought he was such a bad guy in practice,” he said. “But when they got to the game, they were able to handle those situations and buy in. That’s what the great teams do in any sport. The buy-in is that every play in practice matters. It’s not that I do it, but I do it perfectly. If I don’t, my mind is set in that.

“Young guys sometimes, they’ll do it two-thirds or three-fourths of the time. That’s what he’s talking about for buy-in. We had a long conversation this morning about things. I always do with my team leaders. That’s what he’s saying. We’ve gotta get them to do it so when we get to the game field, there’s no other way. That’s what practice is. It’s not ‘Practice ’til you do it right.’ It’s, ‘Practice ’til you can’t do it wrong.'”

Jimbo Fisher will hope his team heeds the words of Ainias Smith and show up for a good week of practice. They’ll definitely need it as they prepare to face No. 13 Miami at 8 p.m. CT on Saturday.