"He wasn’t a serious coach": Paul Finebaum calls Jimbo Fisher a 'BS-er' while praising Mike Elko following Texas A&M's win over LSU
Veteran sports analyst Paul Finebaum has fired shots at former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher while heaping praise on current Aggies coach Mike Elko. The Aggies, who beat LSU 38-23 in Week 9 on Saturday, have won seven straight games since losing to Notre Dame in Week 1.
On Sunday, Finebaum made an appearance on "The Matt Barrie Show" and waxed lyrical on Elko, while throwing shade on his predecessor Fisher.
“It’s a very culture-related school, and Elko fits that culture,” Finebaum said of Texas A&M. “They’re no-nonsense. Jimbo Fisher was just your classic BS-er. He wasn’t a serious coach. He was a politician."
Finebaum also alluded to the fact that Elko might have taken a few jabs at Fisher after the comeback win over No. 16 LSU.
“He (Elko) was referring to (Fisher) last night after the game when he said, ‘I’m not a politician. I’m not a BS-er.’ He just coaches football. And I know that’s like a cliche you can get anywhere you want. But that’s what they wanted out there because they want serious people. They want people that know how to do it, not who will tell you how it’s going to be done,” Finebaum added.
No. 10 Texas A&M trailed the Tigers 17-7 at halftime. However, the Aggies were on a mission in the second half, outgaining LSU by 83 yards and forcing the Tigers to yield three turnovers to complete a stunning comeback victory.
Mike Elko appeared to aim a dig at Jimbo Fisher in post-game press conference
After Texas A&M's win over LSU, Mike Elko appeared to have some fiery words. Although he didn't mention any names, some believed that his post-game comments were aimed at Fisher.
"This is a real program," Elko said in his postgame news conference. "It’s not fake, it’s not a politician running this program talking fast and BSing everybody. This is a real program and for all the recruits out there, this is a real place, and if you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be.”
The Aggies fired Fisher in the 2023 midseason after he led the team to a 6-4 record through 10 games. His contract was bought out at a whopping $77.5 million, the biggest buyout for a college football coach.
Mike Elko was named as Fisher's successor and appointed by Texas A&M on Nov. 27, 2023. He has led the program to a 7-1 record thus far in his first season and the Aggies are currently at the top of the Southeastern Conference standings.
Elko will aim to continue Texas A&M's excellent run when the program travels to face South Carolina in Week 10 this upcoming Saturday.