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LSU was prepared to offer Jimbo Fisher record contract before hiring Brian Kelly

NCAA Football: Texas A&M at Missouri
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Jimbo Fisher has had some success in four seasons as the Texas A&M Aggies head coach, posting a 34-14 record. However, it’s not what those in College Station had hoped when they hired him away from Florida State ahead of the 2018 season.

Apparently, that was not a deterent for the LSU Tigers before they ultimately hired Brian Kelly to replace Ed Orgeron as head coach.

According to college football insider Brett McMurphy, LSU was prepared to offer Jimbo Fisher a whopping eight-year, $125 million contract last month before opting to go with Kelly.

That’s just an insane amount of money for “amateur football.” It would have also been the highest average annual salary in the history of college football at $16 million per. Right now, Lincoln Riley owns that distinction on his new deal with the USC Trojans.

Related: Highest paid college football coaches right now

Did LSU opt for Brian Kelly over Jimbo Fisher?

jimbo fisher contract
Nov 27, 2021; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher looks on during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Given that no contract offer was made to Fisher, it’s hard to conclude that the Tigers decided to go with the former Notre Dame head coach over his counterpart.

Obviously, finances could have played a role here. Kelly’s deal is said to be worth $95 million over 10 seasons for an average of $9.5 million per. That’s a huge difference. As for Jimbo Fisher, he’s earning $7.5 million on his current deal with the Aggies.

We’ll have to wait a while to decide if LSU hiring Kelly was the right move. His departure from South Bend was about as drama-filled as it gets. Meanwhile, Kelly’s early tenure in Baton Rouge has included multiple starters entering the tranfer portal and top recruits opting to pull out of their commitments.

This will certainly be one of the biggest college football storylines to follow in the coming years. That’s for sure.

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