Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies get hit with NCAA penalties

Texas A&M football was hit with NCAA penalties on Thursday, including a show-cause penalty for head coach Jimbo Fisher.

On Thursday, the NCAA announced penalties against the Texas A&M football program and head coach Jimbo Fisher.

According to the NCAA’s release, Texas A&M “violated NCAA recruiting and countable athletic related activity rules between January 2018 and February 2019 and Fisher “violated NCAA head coach responsibility rules.” Fisher and an assistant had impermissable recruiting contact with a player at his high school. The catch-phrase “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance” was also attached to Fisher.

Fisher was also hit with a sixth-month show cause order.

When we’ve seen previous NCAA show-cause penalties in basketball, coaches have been sidelined multiple years before they could get another head coaching position at the highest level.

But the penalty for Fisher is not that severe.

What Does The Show-Cause Order Mean For Jimbo Fisher?

"The terms of the show-cause order include a previously served nine-day ban on phone calls, emails or texts with prospects in January 2020; a reduction in off-campus recruiting contact days by three for the December 2019 through January 2020 contact period; a ban on all off-campus recruiting activities for the fall 2020 contact period; additional one-on-one rules education; and a public statement from the head coach addressing the violations."

So Fisher will not be able to do any off-campus recruiting this fall. He has fulfilled the last part of the order, with the expected, canned public statement.

"As Texas A&M’s Head Football Coach, I am responsible for promoting and monitoring for NCAA compliance in our program,” “While I am disappointed in the violations, including an unintended one that resulted from a conversation with a high school athlete, it is still my responsibility to ensure we are adhering to each and every rule. I am pleased to have this matter completely behind our program and look forward to continuing our efforts to make every aspect of our program one all Aggies can continue to be proud of."

Fisher is entering his third year as head coach at Texas A&M, with a 17-9 record. Counting his time at Florida State (2010-2017), he has a 100-32 record as a head coach.