Jimbo Fisher isn’t pulling any punches.
The Texas A&M football coach fired back at Nick Saban on Thursday after the Alabama football coach on Wednesday night accused the Aggies of buying players via name, image and likeness deals. Fisher called Saban a “narcissist” and called his comments “despicable” during an impromptu press conference Thursday morning.
“Some people think they’re God,” Fisher said about Saban. “Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody who’s ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out what he does and how he does it.”
Speaking at a business event in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday, Saban bemoaned how NIL deals have overtaken the college football landscape. He listed Jackson State and Texas A&M as examples of schools he believes are breaking the rules, alleging the programs of buying players. The Aggies are entering the 2022 season with the top recruiting class in the nation.
“I mean, we were second in recruiting last year,” Saban said. “A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team — made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn’t buy one player, all right? But I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”
Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher just fired back at Nick Saban for saying they “bought” recruits.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 19, 2022
Fisher calls Saban a “narcissist” and says he won’t take his call.
“We built him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past.” pic.twitter.com/iG4UQ4BH3I
Fisher, who used to coach under Saban at LSU, told reporters that the seven-time national champion called him last night after the comments started going viral.
“We’re done,” Fisher said, adding that he did not answer the phone call.
During his impassioned defense, Fisher said that Texas A&M followed NCAA rules while garnering seven five-star recruits last year.
“I don’t cheat. I don’t lie,” Fisher said. “If you did, my old man slapped me across the face. Maybe someone should have slapped [Saban].”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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