Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Thursday he ignored a phone call from Nick Saban after the Alabama coach made national headlines Wednesday night by saying the Aggies “bought every player” in their top-ranked 2022 recruiting class.
“Oh, he’s called,” Fisher said at a news conference at Kyle Field. “Not going to [take the call]. We’re done.”
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Fisher worked as Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04. Last October, Fisher became the first of Saban’s former assistants to beat him when Texas A&M upset then-top ranked Alabama in College Station. After the win, Fisher said of Saban, “He’s been a great friend. I’ve coached with him. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
But Fisher’s relationship with Saban seemed to erode in February when the Aggies coach called other SEC coaches “clown acts” for suggesting NIL was being used in Texas A&M’s improved recruiting, and Thursday’s quickly-organized 10-minute news conference seemed to bury any relationship Fisher and Saban once had.
“I know the guy. I know him really well,” Fisher said. “It’s the second time we’ve had to do this with grown men who don’t get their way and want to pout and throw a fit and act up. Just go ask all the people who work for him who know exactly what he’s about.
“Always said this -- my dad always told me this -- when people show you who they are, believe them. He’s showing you who he is.”
Fisher was not done, either.
“You coach with people like Bobby Bowden and learn how to do things,” he said. “You coach with other people and learn how not to do things. There’s a reason I ain’t went back and worked for him [Nick Saban], with opportunities. Don’t want to be associated with him.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.