Texas A&M is now in the market for a new head coach, as the Aggies made the decision to part ways with Jmbo Fisher on Sunday morning. Billy Liucci of TexAgs was the first to report that Fisher would be dismissed on Sunday morning.

The decision is a costly one, as the Texas A&M head coach is expected to be owed $76 million in buyout money, by far the highest ever paid out to one coach.

“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President Welsh and then Chancellor Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork said. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Fisher was in his sixth season at Texas A&M. The Aggies are 45-25 under Fisher, including 6-4 in this current season. Texas A&M did beat Mississippi State 51-10 on Saturday night, but the Aggies already have losses to Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Miami this season.

The high-watermark during Fisher’s time in College Station, Texas came during the 2020 season. The Aggies went 9-1 and finished the season as the No. 4 team in the country. Texas A&M famously signed the No. 1 overall recruiting class for the 2022 cycle, the first in which NIL was a prominent factor in recruiting. The Aggies finished ahead of both Alabama and Georgia in that class.

But the star-studded signing class, which included multiple Georgia targets and prospects, didn’t lead to wins. The Aggies went 5-7 last season before enduring further struggles in 2023. The Aggies have struggled to protect their starting quarterbacks, as Kellen Mond was the last quarterback to complete a season healthy back during 2020.

Texas A&M is the first SEC job to come open this season. The Michigan State job is also open after the school parted ways with Mel Tucker earlier this season.

While the Texas A&M job isn’t without its flaws, it has shown it is willing to pay top dollar to try and compete. Be it in the coaching ranks or in terms of recruiting, the Aggies have shown they aren’t afraid to try and spend with the big boys. Despite the turmoil, Texas A&M still has the No. 7 ranked recruiting class for the 2024 cycle.

Among the possible candidates for the job include Duke head coach Mike Elko, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor.

What makes this job even more interesting in the modern age of college football is the impact this has on the current roster with regard to the transfer portal. Players are free to transfer one time per the NCAA. Georgia had already taken one player from Fisher’s program, as Smoke Bouie transferred to Georgia this past offseason. However, Bouie never ended up playing in a game for Georgia as the two sides agreed to part ways over the summer.

Georgia took four players out of the transfer portal last offseason, with all of them having SEC ties. Given Georgia has recruiting ties to players on the Texas A&M roster, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Bulldogs consider some Texas A&M transfers when the transfer portal opens. The window this offseason opens on Dec. 4 and closes on Jan. 2.

Georgia also hired former Texas A&M offensive coordinator Darrel Dickey as an analyst this past offseason. Former Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley is a member of Fisher’s staff, as he is the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Elijah Robinson will be Texas A&M’s interim coach.

Fisher only once played Georgia during his time at Texas A&M. That came back in 2019, a game the Bulldogs won 19-13. Despite joining the conference back in 2012, Georgia has still never visited Texas A&M.

The Bulldogs aren’t scheduled to do so next season, as they will instead make a trip to Austin, Texas to play the Texas Longhorns. While opponents for next season have been announced, specific dates have not yet.

The SEC will be expanding next season, as Texas and Oklahoma officially join the league. Both programs are currently ranked in the top 20, with the Longhorns sitting as the No. 7 team in the country. The recent success of those two additions undoubtedly helped push Fisher out at Texas A&M, as the Aggies have continued to fall behind the already elite teams in the SEC.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart won a national championship in his sixth season at Georgia. Texas A&M was undoubtedly hoping for similar results. Instead, Fisher is now out of a job after not even six full seasons.

There are now just four active head coaches who have won a national championship. Smart is one of them, as his Bulldogs have won the last two and look poised to try and win a third.

As for the Aggies, it is back to the drawing board in hopes of finding a coach that can elevate their program to where Georgia has gotten.