Jimbo Fisher doubled down on his defense of Texas A&M recruiting in an interview with a San Antonio, Texas TV station, saying just one of the 11 early enrollees in the Aggies’ No. 1 recruiting class has an NIL deal.
Fisher fumed last week when Alabama coach Nick Saban spoke to an Alabama business group saying, “A&M bought every player on their team — made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn’t buy one player, all right?”
The Aggies’ coach responded by calling a press conference on Thursday morning and ripping Saban, saying “We never bought anybody” and calling Saban “despicable” and saying “Some people think they’re God.”
On Sunday night, KSAT aired an interview with Fisher that they taped on Friday when the coach visited the city to speak to an alumni club.
“I just researched this,” Fisher said in the interview. “Of the 11 guys we have in place that came early? One guy has an NIL deal. So all these stories you’re hearing are complete lies.”
He reiterated that he had already been on the defense since signing day in February when he questioned social media posts that claimed the Aggies had a $30 million fund for NIL deals.
“It was written on social media,” Fisher said to reporter Greg Simmons. “You got news channels [that] believed it. And you believed it.”
Fisher then began questioning Simmons.
“I’m asking you,” Fisher said. “Did you do your research? No, so you just assumed. And that’s the way this world goes now. As soon as it’s written on social media and someone says it, you believe it. So where does that put you guys as reporters?
“Nobody wants the truth. You want a story and a click and a hit.”
Fisher, like he said on Thursday, repeated that he hadn’t talked to Saban and didn’t plan to.
“No, we haven’t talked,” Fisher said, then was asked if he’d accept Saban’s apology. “I said we’re not talking.”