Texas A&M 12th Man Foundation donations drastically fall amid Jimbo Fisher buyout

According to Daniel Libit of Sportico, donations for the Texas A&M 12th Man Foundation have drastically fallen in the past year. After bringing in over $120 million during the 2023 fiscal year, the number dropped to just under $96 million in 2024. Libit was able to obtain a copy of the 12th Man Foundation’s latest tax return.

This comes just as the buyout for former head coach Jimbo Fisher was assumed. Fisher was fired by Texas A&M during the 2023 season and had a historic $76 million fee to remove him from the position.

“The 12th Man Foundation, Texas A&M’s athletic fundraising arm, saw its annual revenue drop by more than $25 million from fiscal year 2023 to 2024—just as it assumed the hefty financial burden of helping cover former Aggies football coach Jimbo Fisher’s massive buyout,” Libit said.

“According to a copy of the organization’s latest tax return, obtained by Sportico, the 12th Man Foundation reported bringing in $95.7 million in FY24, set off against $116 million in expenditures. It brought in $121 million in total revenue for FY23, according to its previous IRS filings.”

Fisher spent six seasons in College Station after leaving Florida State in favor of Texas A&M. In 70 games with the Aggies, Fisher won 45 of them. At least eight wins were accomplished on four different occasions, reaching the nine-win total twice. One of those was during the 2020 COVID-19-infected season, finishing 9-1 and just outside the College Football Playoff.

Things turned south beginning in 2022, though. Texas A&M finished 5-7 and with a losing record for the first time since 2009. Fisher did help the program get back to winning ways the following year, starting 2023 with a 6-4 record. However, the plug was pulled following a win against Mississippi State.

Since being let go at Texas A&M, Fisher has not taken another role. Sometimes, coaches will get into the media industry and work with networks such as FOX or ESPN. To this point, there has been no sign of Fisher getting back into the public spotlight.

Texas A&M, on the other hand, has moved forward with its program under head coach Mike Elko. Hired away from Duke, Elko helped Texas A&M finish 8-5 during his first season in charge. Flip the result against in-state rival Texas and the Aggies would have been sent to the SEC Championship, potentially even the CFP.