Ross Bjork explains how Bobby Petrino hire gives Jimbo Fisher more freedom

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork was in Florida, along with several other key pieces from the athletic department, for the SEC spring meetings. Also attending and covering the meetings was ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. Finebaum was able to snag the Aggies’ athletic director for a sit-down interview.

During the interview, Bjork explains how Bobby Petrino’s hire as offensive coordinator gives head coach Jimbo Fisher more freedom.

“Like, all you have to do is go on the practice field. We had 15 spring practices. I walk through the building; you look at the meeting rooms; I would go in the football meeting rooms in the fall, and Jimbo’s in there grinding away at film, right? I mean, he’s game-planning. He’s the OC. He’s calling plays. Now it’s like there’s more flexibility for Jimbo,” said Bjork.

“So what I’ve seen this spring is more freedom for Jimbo to look at the totality of the program. And then on the practice field, Jimbo’s intense on the practice field, that’s not going away. But he can spot-pick; like, does he wanna go look at the defense a little bit? Does he wanna go watch the running backs? Before, he was focused on the quarterback. So, I think it allows him to see the whole picture, and that’s gonna be fun to watch moving forward.”

With a skilled offensive mind like Petrino as your offensive coordinator, as the head coach, you can expand your focus on the team. And that appears to be precisely what Fisher is doing.

Now only time will tell if that translates into more wins for the Aggies in the upcoming season.

Bjork explains why Bobby Petrino was a great fit for Texas A&M

Before discussing how Petrino’s presence benefits Fisher as a head coach, Bjork also discussed what went into the hiring process for the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator and why he was a great fit for Texas A&M. 

“I was the athletic director of Western Kentucky for a couple of years, from 2010 to 2012. And the guy who succeeded me there hired Bobby Petrino as a head coach. And that was one of the first phone calls. When Coach Fisher brought his name up, obviously, we all did our background homework. So I called Todd Stewart, and he goes, ‘(he) could not have been better to work with, (and) could not have been more humble.’ (Petrino) took responsibility for what happened.

“(He) was a family man, had his grandkids around, (and) had his children around. I mean, when he was at Missouri State, part of his family’s coaching with him. He’s a family guy.”