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Jimbo Fisher Staying At FSU

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By SCOTT CARTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2007

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State officials spent Sunday talking to offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher about his future. In the end, Fisher decided his future is at FSU and not West Virginia, which pursued him heavily in recent days to become its head coach.

According to sources, Fisher was West Virginia's top candidate to replace former coach Rich Rodriguez, who left to become Michigan's coach last week. Fisher is a native of Clarksburg, W. Va.

When reached at home Sunday evening, FSU coach Bobby Bowden said Fisher was still on his staff and that he expected to speak with Fisher sometime Sunday night. FSU officials finally received word Fisher was staying at the school around 8 p.m.

"I'm hearing the same thing you are," Bowden said before hearing Fisher's decision. "There is nothing to report yet. I talked to Jimbo [Saturday] about [the rumors], and he said he hadn't talked to anybody and wasn't interested."

FSU interim athletic director Bill Proctor, who assisted school president T.K. Wetherell in orchestrating the agreement with Fisher to replace Bowden one day, remained hopeful Sunday Fisher would honor his end of the contract. If Fisher had taken another job, he would have owed FSU $2.5 million. As part of his new three-year deal, Fisher got a $200,000 raise to increase his salary to $625,000, making him one of – if not – highest-paid assistant coaches in the country.

Sources say Fisher's agent, Jimmy Sexton, had been talking to West Virginia officials on Fisher's behalf since Thursday. Fisher became the Mountaineers' primary target when school officials couldn't come to a consensus on whether Florida assistant Doc Holliday or former Auburn coach Terry Bowden was the best choice to replace Rodriguez.

"I've heard all the rumors, too," Proctor said. "Nobody has told me anything definitive. Until then, I'm operating under the assumption that we have a signed contract and both parties will honor that contract."

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