Paul Finebaum breaks down the problems Texas A&M faces with Jimbo Fisher, his buyout

Paul Finebaum knows a Jimbo Fisher buyout won’t be easy. During an appearance on “The Matt Barrie Show,” the SEC Network analyst evaluated Texas A&M’s situation with its underachieving head coach.

“It’s a $77 million buyout,” Finebaum said. “I ran into Aggies fans in Knoxville and every time they would say, ‘Hey, why are you so tough on our program?’ I would say, ‘What do you think about Jimbo?’ And they go, ‘Well, I don’t know. He’s not — maybe it’s time.’ I’m talking about just random fans. I still can’t believe they’re gonna pony up $77 million. But, now, it’s still something to keep your eye on.”

Spirits are low in College Station. Texas A&M is 4-3 and on a two-game losing streak, most recently falling 20-13 to Tennessee. Despite the program’s consistently underwhelming success, it’ll be difficult to make any significant changes.

Texas A&M initially hired Fisher in December 2017 on a 10-year, $75 million contract. The relationship blossomed early with Fisher leading A&M to a 26-10 record in his first three seasons in the driver’s seat.

After Fisher and Co. a 9-1 mark and nearly made the College Football Playoff, Texas A&M rewarded the coach with a 10-year, fully guaranteed contract extension worth $94.95 million on Sept. 1, 2021. Since the extension, Fisher has led the Aggies to a mediocre 17-14 record.

“This is his sixth year and he was not one of the hottest coaches in the country when they hired him and the reason he got this extension is that LSU wanted to hire him, Finebaum said. ” The biggest buy out is $21 million — that was Gus Malzahn at Auburn. It’s one thing to pay $21 million. It’s another thing to pay $77 million.”

It won’t get easier for Jimbo Fisher

If Texas A&M needs more losses to reach a breaking point, it might be in luck. The Aggies still must take on No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 19 LSU. Additionally, Fisher and Co. will square off against trap opponents such as South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Fisher knows his future lies in his hands.

“We have to find a way,” Fisher said after his team’s loss to UT. “We have to score on the times we get down. We need to score touchdowns in the red zone. We had a couple of critical penalties on critical plays, but the kids were playing their hearts out. We have to find a way as coaches to put them in a better position to help them out and get over that hump.”