At his introductory press conference Monday, Jimbo Fisher said it was "a no-brainer" to leave Florida State for Texas A&M.
Fisher, who agreed to a 10-year, $75 million contract with the Aggies, cited his relationship with athletic director Scott Woodward and the school's resources as the main factors in his decision. Woodward and Fisher overlapped at LSU from 2000-2004.
"I say this all the time in coaching," Fisher said. "You can have Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll — you can have the greatest coaches in the world. But if your administration doesn't see things the way you see things and allow you to do things that way, nothing can be achieved."
Fisher said "all the ingredients (for success) are here" and mentioned Texas A&M's recruiting base, facilities and local support. While he said he had never planned to leave Florida State, where he was the head coach for eight seasons, the vision from Texas A&M administrators led to a change of heart.
"I think it was a no-brainer, in a crazy way," Fisher said. "And again, my time at Florida State, I loved it. It was phenomenal. It was a tremendous place.
"But in our life, there's opportunities out there you see. And like I said, I had no plans of ever leaving there. Had no plans on ever leaving there. But with the people I'm working with, with the place I'm going and (Woodward) explaining the things to me, as I researched, I thought it was an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up."
Fisher mentioned Texas A&M's facilities on multiple occasions during Monday's press conference, which could be perceived as a shot at his former school. The 52-year-old had been vocal about his desire to improve Florida State's facilities last season, starting with the construction of a new football operations building.
"We’ve got to get caught up," Fisher said in September. "We haven’t done anything for a long time here. We did when we first got here. We made a few little adjustments. Since then we really haven’t. We’ve got to get caught up in that area."
Fisher also repeatedly mentioned that he has "a oneness" with Woodward and the rest of the Texas A&M administration and praised their collective vision for the program.
A&M’s Board of Regents approves the hiring of Jimbo Fisher. #12thMan pic.twitter.com/bvsDwtXggY
— Colin Deaver (@KAGS_Colin) December 4, 2017
The school literally rolled out a red carpet for Fisher when he arrived in College Station on Sunday and welcomed him with a maroon blazer and pair of Texas A&M boots at Monday's press conference. The coach said he understands life in the SEC from his time at LSU and understands the expectations at the school.
"Your expectations will never be greater than mine," Fisher said. "I promise you that."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
Jimbo Fisher takes his first steps in Aggieland with much fanfare. Texas A&M has its man. #12thMan pic.twitter.com/3yqPhK5Tg5
— Colin Deaver (@KAGS_Colin) December 3, 2017
