When Jimbo Fisher initially arrived at Texas A&M, the media scoffed at the nearly $75 million, fully guaranteed 10-year deal that he got.
(Personally, I always thought that was dumb. You get what someone is willing to pay for, and there is no price you can put on a national championship winning coach. Anyway, I digress)
Well, if they were mad before, they're about to be furious. As Fisher has apparently outperformed his original contract, and will be given a new 10-year deal, worth $9 million a year.
The news was first reported by TexAgs' Billy Liucci and later confirmed by the school.
"I have great respect for Coach Fisher and his success with our student athletes. His ability to bring out the best in each of them is inspirational. I am confident that he will continue to raise Texas A&M University's football program to new heights," school president Katherine Banks said.
The news comes off last year's 9-1 season in Aggieland, where Texas A&M finished fifth in the playoff standings (many thought they should be in over Notre Dame) and in the lead-up to the most anticipated season of Aggie football since Johnny Manziel was on campus. The Aggies are ranked sixth in the first AP Poll, with some - like Phil Steele - calling them a College Football Playoff dark horse.
It also puts Fisher in rarified air financially. With Fisher crossing the $9 million threshold, he is now the second highest-paid coach in college football on an annual basis, behind only Nick Saban. And as mentioned, Fisher is on an insane 10-year deal, meaning he'll be making that money for a very long time. And will likely get another raise if he keeps winning.
In terms of who falls behind those two, well, the Athletic's Stewart Mandel put out an updated list, with all the details, on the top six.
Admittedly, there really isn't all that much surprising about this list.
Coach O seems kind of high, but given that you knew he'd get a huge raise after the 2019 national title season, we probably shouldn't be surprised. And Dabo Swinney signed a massive $93 million extension a few years ago, that you know would put him atop a list like this for a while.
Probably the only real shocker is seeing Dan Mullen roll in at No. 5 overall. That's not to say Mullen isn't deserving the money, considering he ripped off two straight 10-win seasons to start his tenure in Gainesville and then won the SEC East last year. Just that to see him as top five in the sport is a little shocking.
Still, the overall theme that seems to be coming out of this list is that of the top six highest-paid coaches in college football, five come from the SEC.
As the old saying goes, it really does just mean more.
Make sure to check out and subscribe to Aaron's new college football betting podcast below.