9. Jimbo Fisher – Florida State
The big question surrounding Florida State for a decade was “who will replace Bobby Bowden?”. The situation loomed large as Bowden got older, and as Florida State no longer ran the ACC. The losses grew as did the NCAA violations. Wins were vacated, and FSU was forced to finally come up with a contingency plan for when Bowden retired. In comes Jimbo Fisher. The Seminoles name Fisher the offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting.
Fisher had been around before this. He was Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU, and he was ready to take a job as the head coach of Alabama-Birmingham, but the board vetoed the contract. Saban then offered Fisher a chance to be a coordinator for the Crimson Tide, but he chose to go to Tallahassee instead.
Once Fisher was introduced as head coach, the dividends came almost immediately. He was able to recruit major names and had the eighth-best class in his first season according to 247Sports. They put up their first 10-win season in seven years, and Florida State never looked back.
A few years later, Fisher recruits a quarterback named Jameis Winston who ended up being the best player under center since the 90s for FSU. He led them to the national championship in his freshman season, and he led them back to the College Football Playoff in his sophomore season. Fisher led a young quarterback to championship lore.
Fisher’s tenure did not end well, and he left a bad taste in the mouths of FSU fans. However, this was undoubtedly the right guy to fill Bobby Bowden’s shoes. It was a huge presence to overcome, and he did it by winning a title within four years.