Jimbo Fisher claims he never wanted to leave Florida State: ‘I cried’

Now going into his second year removed from coaching, Jimbo Fisher has had some time to reflect on his career. That includes at Florida State, where he cemented his own legacy as a national champion.

Fisher’s time at Florida State would end in 2017 when he resigned and moved on to Texas A&M. That was an emotional choice for Fisher, which he recently shared on Trials to Triumph. In fact, he even admitted that he cried over the decision.

“Most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” Jimbo Fisher said. “Never wanted to go. And, listen, I loved A&M. We had great success. I mean, the last couple years we didn’t, but that run we had there, and I don’t mean that in anything there. I did not ever want to leave.”

When Jimbo Fisher left Florida State, it was for a 10-year $75 million deal. That’s always going to be difficult to turn down. There was more to it than that, though. According to Fisher, there was more to the decision than that, though. He also felt the ACC was falling behind other conferences, like the SEC.

“It was just, and I don’t want to get into this. I just knew it’s kind of the situation the ACC is in now. I saw those things and tried to get us to get ahead of that a little bit. We never wanted anything for ourselves. I wanted more stuff for our staff and players,” Fisher said. “And some more facilities because I knew where the game was going and where we were putting our money. It just never worked out, and I’m not going to throw anybody under the [bus]. Sometimes you do it.”

Jimbo Fisher is a native of West Virginia. However, he’s often cited Florida State as the team he watched growing up. He would have been a child when Bobby Bowden was the coach at West Virginia and later when he made the jump to the Seminoles. Later, as a coach, he’d become the offensive coordinator for Bowden before becoming the head coach.

“But, listen, I grew up a Florida State fan,” Fisher said. “I loved Florida State. I grew up loving Florida State. The Bowdens were like family to me, and I was like family to them. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever, ever done. The players. I love the players. We had so much success, and we left a great team. Cam Akers and Brian Burns and all those great players. We had great players still. [Deondre] Francois. There’s tons of others.”

In the end, Jimbo Fisher would go 83-23 in eight seasons. That included a national championship and three straight ACC titles. He’d go on to Texas A&M, where he’d go 45-25 over six seasons.

“I remember I cried. Do you remember the meeting? I cried. It killed me,” Fisher said. “But life takes turns sometimes.”