Jimbo Fisher hasn’t been on a sideline for three seasons, but the former Florida State coach says he’s still open for business if the right opportunity comes along.
In a recent conversation with The Athletic, Fisher made it clear he hasn’t lost the pull of coaching. He said what he misses most are the parts of the job that defined his run in college football: the players, the recruiting, the planning, and the competition.
“The relationship with players. The competition.
I miss the competition. I miss recruiting,” Fisher said.
“But I miss the competition, the game planning. That was never work to me.
That was fun. It was a grind, but it was fun.”
Fisher, 60, also believes the sport’s changing landscape wouldn’t scare him off. College football now runs through NIL deals, booster money, and a different set of pressures than the one he knew during his 14 seasons as a head coach, but Fisher said that only adds to what he could bring back to the table.
"I miss recruiting. If I can recruit without money, I can recruit with money. I promise you that," Fisher continued.
The former national championship coach said his first choice would be another head-coaching job. Still, he didn’t rule out a different role if the fit made sense, saying he would also consider working as an offensive coordinator in college or even in the NFL.
Fisher’s resume in Tallahassee is still the centerpiece of his coaching story. He spent three seasons as Florida State’s offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden before taking over as head coach in 2010. From there, he put together an 83-23 record, won three straight ACC titles, and captured the 2013 national championship with Heisman Trophy quarterback Jameis Winston.
His exit after Florida State’s 5-6 season in 2017 closed the book on one of the most successful eras in school history and left plenty of disappointment behind. Fisher then moved on to Texas A&M, but he never matched that level of sustained success in College Station.
For now, Fisher stays connected to the conference through his work with the ACC Network. Whether that becomes a bridge back into coaching is still an open question.
In Other News...
10 In-State Recruiting Misses FSU Fans Still Hate Remembering
Florida has always been fertile ground for college football talent, and the Seminoles have spent years trying to keep the best of it from leaving the state. The latest reminder comes from a familiar kind of recruiting pain, the sort that still lingers because the names were so good and the fit seemed so obvious at the time. Players like C.J. Spiller, Leonard Williams, T.J. Yeldon, Amari Cooper, Joey Bosa and Patrick Peterson all grew up in Florida before becoming stars elsewhere, a list that says as much about national recruiting as it does about the pressure on Florida State, Miami and Florida to hold serve at home.
For FSU fans, the frustration is not just that elite in-state prospects keep ending up in other uniforms, but that some of those decisions helped shape the balance of power far beyond the state line. The article also points to newer misses such as Jeremiah Smith, another huge Florida talent who went elsewhere, underscoring how little margin there is when the top programs in the country come calling. It is the kind of recruiting ledger that can make a fan base wince years later, because every name on it still feels like a chance that got away. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former Seminoles Just Put FSU Back In The NFL Spotlight
The NFLs annual Top 100 countdown has already given Florida State a little spotlight, with two former Seminoles landing in the first 40 names revealed. Josh Sweat checked in at No. 78 after a strong first season with the Arizona Cardinals, while Jalen Ramsey came in at No. 82 after his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, keeping both veterans in the conversation as the league rolls out its rankings.
For FSU fans, it is another reminder that the program still has plenty of recognizable names making noise on Sundays. The list will keep unfolding through early September, which leaves open the possibility that more former Seminoles could surface before the countdown is finished. [Read more 🡒]