Paul Finebaum's Brutal Take On Former College Football National Championship-Winning Coach

The Texas A&M Aggies had a strong start in their first season in the SEC. With an 11-2 record, star quarterback Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy and Texas A&M finished the year ranked No. 5 in the country.

In the years following that successful season, the Aggies have struggled to achieve similar results. Texas A&M achieved an average of eight wins over the next five seasons, leading to the departure of head coach Kevin Sumlin. While searching for a new head coach, the Aggies believed they had found the ideal candidate in Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, who had previously led the Seminoles to a national championship in 2013.

Fisher made a strong start, with the Aggies achieving a 9-4 record in his first year. They also excelled in recruiting, finishing with an average class ranking of 8.5 over Fisher's six seasons, and securing what many consider to be the best recruiting class ever in 2022.

Unfortunately, the victories did not continue. Fisher only achieved one more nine-win season after his first year. He never won 10 or more games and had a losing season the year following the historic class in 2022.

During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show , ESPN's Paul Finebaum expressed his view that Texas A&M's inconsistency as a program can be attributed to hiring the wrong person in Fisher. Finebaum claimed that Fisher was "damaged goods" when he was hired at Texas A&M and suggested that Fisher was primarily motivated by the large paycheck rather than making other significant contributions.

"They have everything," Finebaum said. "They've got one of the more unique fan bases and traditions. It's baffling to me, except that they went all in on the wrong guy. They got a guy that, by the time Jimbo Fisher made it to College Station, was damaged goods. He took the check and that's really about it."

Jimbo Fisher had a 45-25 record in his six seasons at Texas A&M, with a 64.3% win percentage. During his eight years at Florida State, Fisher went 83-23 and had a 78.3% win percentage. Fisher ultimately couldn't replicate his success at Florida State while at Texas A&M.

After being unable to lead Texas A&M to an SEC championship or a College Football Playoff appearance, following a losing season and a 6-4 start to the 2023 campaign, Jimbo Fisher was replaced as the head coach. The Aggies hired Mike Elko, who previously served as the defensive coordinator under Fisher at Texas A&M from 2018 to 2021 before leaving to be the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.

The Aggies hope they've chosen the right person to lead them to conference championship games and College Football Playoff appearances.

Related: Jimbo Fisher Gets Brutally Honest About College Football After Texas A&M Firing