According to reports, Texas A&M finally hired offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher on Wednesday. And many sources say it’s none other than Bobby Petrino. Petrino coached FCS Missouri State for three years after managing NFL teams in Arkansas and Louisville. And Petrino was recently introduced as UNLV’s new offensive coordinator.
Petrino’s time in Nevada appears to be coming to an end as he has a chance to lead an SEC offensive. ESPN reports that Petrino will replace Fisher as the Aggies’ play caller in College Station in an effort to improve the team’s anemic scoring output (22.8 ppg).
Despite starting the year with a No. 6 ranking in the preseason AP poll, Texas A&M finished with a 5-7 overall record and a 2-6 record in SEC play. Prior to their season-ending victory against LSU, Texas A&M had gone 13 games without scoring more than 30 points against an FBS opponent.
In the off-season, Fisher replaced Darrell Dickey, his offensive coordinator since Fisher joined A&M in 2018. Despite the team’s lackluster performance, Fisher continued to make all the calling decisions. With a 10-year, $95 million contract and a 39-21 record in his five years with Texas A&M, Fisher has been a success both on and off the field.
Over the past two years, their record is 13-11 (6-10 in the SEC). It is believed Fisher, who has been the longtime play-caller, will hand over that responsibility to Petrino, who has been the subject of controversy several times during his coaching tenure.
Between his two stints with Louisville, Petrino went 77–35, and he had a 34–17 record in Arkansas. He famously accepted a job with the Atlanta Falcons in January 2007, after signing a ten-year contract with Louisville for just six months. After just 13 games with the Falcons, he quit and left a resignation note in each player’s locker.
He hastily escaped from Atlanta to Arkansas. His motorcycle accident led to his resignation as coach midway through the 2011 season. A female colleague was present at the time of the incident and assisted him. Petrino originally lied and said he was alone, but it soon became clear that he was actually with a friend and in a relationship despite being a married man.
Petrino then sat out the 2012 season before going to Western Kentucky. His 8-4 record in Western Kentucky earned him a second chance at coaching in Louisville. For the first four years after returning to the Cardinals, UL posted winning records (with the help of a quarterback named Lamar Jackson), but 2018 was a bad year.
After a 2-8 start, including a 0-7 record in ACC play, he was let go. Fisher was attracted to Petrino because of his past success with the SEC. His Aggies finished worst in the league in foul scoring, ranking 101st in the nation (22.8 points per game).
At a time when defense dominated the SEC, Petrino’s offenses in Arkansas ranked second (36.5 ppg) and first (34.8 ppg) in 2010 and 2011, respectively. SEC teams had seven of the top 30 scoring defenses in the country in 2011. Petrino has had the same autonomy as Fisher when it came to play-calling.
Before taking the job Arkansas, he coached the Atlanta Falcons for the last three games of the 2007 season. When Petrino was suddenly fired, the Falcons had a 3-10 record. This will be Petrino’s 19th overall coaching position, including promotions. Petrino takes on a Texas A&M offense that only scored 24 points against FBS opponents twice last year.
Conner Weigman, a true freshman in 2022, started the last three games at quarterback and will be back for further action this season. Even though he was only a freshman last year, main receiver Evan Stewart is back for its second season. Several offensive linemen for the Aggies will return in 2022 from season-ending injuries.
On Wednesday, the Texas A&M Aggies made headlines by hiring former Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino. After a disappointing regular season in which the Aggies finished with a 5–7 record and one of the worst offenses in the SEC, head coach and player Jimbo Fisher decided to part ways with offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey.
Although he just led Missouri State to a 5–6 record as head coach, the Aggies decided to hire Petrino after an extensive search. Reports indicate that Petrino, rather than Fisher, will be responsible for calling plays. Over the course of his three seasons at Missouri State, Petrino went 18–15 with two first-round playoff exits.
Petrino’s previous coaching stops include two stints with Louisville, where he went 77-35 overall and 3-5 in bowl games in nine seasons before joining the Bears. Perhaps Petrino’s most infamous coaching stint was with the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he was fired after a series of scandals.
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