Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher rips Alabama’s Nick Saban to shreds after cheating accusations

Jimbo Fisher wasn’t even behind the microphone for a full 10 minutes Thursday morning, but that was enough time to fill reporters’ notebooks with plenty of fiery quotes about what he thinks about Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“You can call me anything you want to call me, but you ain’t calling me a cheat,” the Texas A&M coach said. “I don’t cheat and I don’t lie. I learned that when I was a kid. If you did, the old man would slap you upside the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped him.”

The comments deemed possibly slap-worthy by Fisher came from Saban on Wednesday night when he discredited Fisher’s recruiting class – which was ranked No. 1 in the country, one spot ahead of Saban’s Class of 2022 class – saying that, “We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player.”

Last summer, the NCAA made it legal for players to earn money off their name, image and likeness, which has raised concerns that schools are using these NIL deals to recruit players. The NIL deals are legal, but the NCAA doesn’t allow the schools to be a part of negotiating those deals or offering them to players.

Fisher said Saban has tried to call him several times since the Alabama coach’s quote went viral Wednesday night, but he won’t take the call, saying, “We’re done. He’s shown you who he is.” Instead, Fisher called Thursday’s press conference where he denied multiple times that he or anyone on his staff has anything to do with NIL deals.

“It’s despicable that someone can say something about somebody, and more importantly, 17-year-old kids. You’re taking shots at 17-year-old kids and their families. That they broke state laws? That we bought every player on this group? We never bought anybody. No rules were broken. Nothing was done wrong,” Fisher said. “The way we do things, the ethics with which we do things. It’s despicable that a reputable head coach could come out and say this when he doesn’t get his way or things don’t go his way. The narcissist in him doesn’t allow those things to happen and it’s ridiculous.”

Fisher stopped short of turning the allegations back on Saban, but he hinted at it several times, telling reporters at the press conference to dig into Saban’s past and talk to coaches who have worked with the seven-time national champion.

“Some people think they’re God. Go dig in to how ‘God’ did his deal and you may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know,” Fisher said. “We build him up to be the 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 about what he does and how he does it. It’s despicable, it really is.”

Fisher was Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU for five seasons, but opted to stay at LSU under Les Miles when Saban left college football to coach the Miami Dolphins. When Saban took over the Alabama program, he reportedly offered Fisher a job with the Crimson Tide, but Fisher opted to go to Florida State where he was offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden for three seasons before taking over as head coach when Bowden retired.

“You coach with people like Bobby Bowden and learn how to do things. You coach with other people and learn how not to do things,” Fisher said. “There’s a reason why I haven’t gone back and worked with (Saban), and there were opportunities. Didn’t want to be associated with him.”

Fisher and Saban will have to come face-to-face at the SEC’s spring meetings in a couple weeks and then at SEC Media Days in July and then they’ll meet on the field Oct. 8 in Tuscaloosa when Saban and the Crimson Tide will try to avenge last season’s loss in College Station. Fisher scoffed when asked if those meetings might be awkard.

“Awkward about what? I don’t mind confrontation. Lived with it my whole life. I kind of like it, myself. Backing away from it wasn’t the way I was raised,” Fisher said.