David Coolidge, a prominent Houston-based Texas A&M football booster believes that "resource issues in the ACC versus the SEC" led to Jimbo Fisher's decision to leave Florida State for the Aggies last December, despite building a national contender in Tallahassee.
Coolidge was quoted in a piece for CBS Sports discussing what led to the coach's move to College Station earlier this week.
Per CBS Sports:
"'My thought was [that] we wouldn't be able to get him,' said David Coolidge, a prominent Houston-based Aggies booster. 'He's been successful. He's well established. Why would he leave Florida State?"
"Woodward recently provided part of the answer: 'I'm not going to put words in Jimbo's mouth, but there are resource issues in the ACC versus the SEC.'"
Additionally, A&M offered a 10-year, $75-million contract to make the move even more enticing. The Aggies had plenty of money to spend this offseason as university made nearly $212 million in revenue during the 2017 fiscal year, according to an earnings report obtained by USA Today in January.
But hiring Fisher was crucial to president John Sharp's plan of changing the culture of A&M football from a program satisfied with mediocrity.
"Gone are the days when we settle for a good football team," Sharp said in a press release via CBS Sports. "We expect to compete soon for championships. Our Board of Regents and 12th Man fans are to be commended for devoting resources to facilities and now to the coaching staff to do just that.
"Beat the Hell Out of Everybody!"
The Aggies finished the 2017 season ranked fifth in the SEC West. Head coach Kevin Sumlin was fired in November after leading A&M to a 51-26 (25-23) record during his six seasons in College Station.
However, Sumlin never managed to improve his overall win total from the previous season, having began his tenure with an 11-2 record in 2012, followed by a 9-4 finish in 2013, three consecutive 8-5 seasons between 2014-16 and a 7-4 overall record in 2017.
Fisher resigned as FSU's head coach to accept the same position with the Aggies on December 1. He led the Seminoles to an 83-23 record, which included a national championship in 2013, as well as three ACC titles (2012-14) and four first-place finishes in the ACC Atlantic Division (2010, 2012-14).
