Pride, Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Offense: Part Two

In part one of this infuriating topic, I introduced the crisis going on in Texas, and the decision that Jimbo Fisher must make if he wants this program to grow, or if his pride will hold Texas A&M back from becoming an elite program.

The dilemma is Fisher’s offense, and Jimbo’s unwillingness to hire a play-caller, hire an offensive coordinator to install a new playbook, and all in all, the inability to give up his own duties and adapt his offense to the modern age of football.

Mark Richt encountered a similar problem in 2018, during his third year as Miami’s head coach. The Canes were coming off a 10-3 year in 2017, lots of talent and plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the program. Miami had an elite, top-5 defense, but because of Richt’s outdated offensive scheme, the team fell short of expectations. Trust me, it was a frustrating time to be a Miami fan.

Richt had a decision to make. He could adapt his approach on offense, hire a coordinator who had experience with a spread, modern philosophy, a system that would work great with the South Florida athletes on Miami’s roster.

At the end of the day, Richt would ultimately step away from coaching, not willing or uninterested in making staff changes, choosing retirement instead of adapting his offense.

Is that what Fisher is heading for in College Station? Maybe. Hopefully not, if you’re an Aggies fan. Because if Fisher remains stubborn, and ends up being fired, a $96 million buyout doesn’t sound like the sweet sounds of football freedom.

Pride, Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Offense: Part 2

So, how can Fisher change this? What kind of an offense would work for this Aggies team?

Well, it’s really not that hard, a scheme that’ll simplify the offense for the quarterback, utilize the speed of playmakers and get them in space, using the RB’s in the running and passing game, and making an average offensive line look nearly elite.

What Fisher isn’t doing goes against the skillset of the offensive players he’s recruited the last few years. Instead of getting his athletes in space where they can create explosive plays, it’s almost as if they’re stuck in quicksand. It benefits nobody, and has been a factor in the lack of player development.

Haynes King is in his third year under Fisher, and fans still are waiting/praying to see him breakout. A highly recruited QB coming out of high school, King was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in his class.

What we’ve seen from King at Texas A&M, sadly, is a young QB whose confidence seems to decrease every offensive possession. Fisher’s offense requires smart decision making, and you could see King spend so much time making his reads, he just does not look comfortable. He started to throw into double coverage more and more, an increase in deep passes instead of short and safer throws, holding on to the ball as one ill-advised throw has turned into a disappointing career.

In 3 seasons, it’s very clear that King’s skill-set and what offense Fisher wanted him to run, just didn’t mesh. King’s ability as a runner hasn’t been used like it could, and Jimbo is still calling passing plays that benefit neither King’s arm, or the receivers he’s throwing to, 3 years later.

With the quarterback, Fisher’s offense relies on timing patterns, ball placement, more of a pro-style approach, more of an NFL offense than college. Improvising comes in spite of the play-calling,

They could be taking lessons from Alabama, LSU, Texas, schools that have embraced a modern offensive philosophy and emphasizing explosive plays. Look at how a change in the offensive scheme turned LSU into champions in 2019, Texas into a come-up offensive juggernaut, and Alabama into the model system you want your college program to run.

The new and modern offenses makes life easier for the quarterbacks in terms of reads, the routes for receivers are quicker to develop, and the quicker routes will make life a WHOLE lot easier for an offensive line. A QB with easier reads to make, means quicker throws, less time the OL has to spend blocking.

This kind of style they’re running, isn’t doing the Aggies any favors, especially when you see the speed of their wide receivers, and the lack of explosiveness. Since Jimbo arrived in 2018, his passing offense has failed 97th or worse in terms of passing explosiveness.

More stats you say? Since 2018, only one season, the Aggies starting quarterback completed over 60% of his passes. Texas A&M currently ranks 113th in the nation, averaging 6.1 yards per pass attempt, and 97th in pass completion percentage.

They’re 93rd in yards per play, 118th in 3rd down conversion, 118th in time of possession, and 71st in redzone scoring.

A&M has Evan Stewart, who came in as perhaps the best receiver in the 2022 class, a player who needs to start becoming a vocal point on offense.

Yulkeith Brown, a 4-star South Florida recruit Fisher stole from the Hurricanes, is a potential playmaker who has game-changing abilities, and has less than 150 yards from scrimmage in two years. Get him in space, motion him around to confuse defenses, and allow him to create plays after the catch.

Instead, Jimbo wants to establish the run, which is an almost an evil phrase to my ears.
On a team that has recruited so well over the last couple recruiting cycles, the speed and playmakers they’ve brought in, the fact that running back Devon Achane is being used like a Dalvin Cook type of back. They’re running Achane as if they had an elite OL that could handle 30-35 runs a game.

Jimbo wants to bully their opponents, but that doesn’t work when your OL isn’t built for that, or if you don’t have Isaiah Spiller splitting the load in carries with Achane. The duo of Spiller and Achane worked perfectly in 2021, but take Spiller away, Achane isn’t the RB1 that’ll carry the offense on his back.

Instead of forcing his athletes on offense into long drawn-out plays, Fisher needs to start leaning more on the athleticism of these players to create mismatches and confuse the defense.

So, what now? Well, in my opinion, Texas A&M needs to do an overhaul of their offensive staff, getting assistants on who cater to more modern schemes and who are coming from successful programs.

Most importantly, finding an established, respected, offensive coordinator, who has a history of scoring points and can bring an exciting playbook to College Station. Yes, learning a new system is hard for college players, but it’s what’s ultimately going to help push Texas A&M forward, and help Jimbo keep his job, maybe.