Jimbo Fisher Proclaims "College Sports Is Not Fair", Mid-Major Programs Have Turned Into Glorified JUCO Teams

Jimbo Fisher is back on the talking circuit this week discussing the ramifications of what we've seen in college football pertaining to the transfer portal and the upcoming changes within collegiate sports. 

After being fired by Texas A&M and receiving a buyout worth over $74 million, which is being paid in installment plans by the Aggies, the former SEC coach is calling this new era of college football exactly what it is for a majority of teams outside the Power-4. They are now JUCO programs, with their rosters being ransacked. 

You've all seen it by now, so there's no reason to go on a tangent about what the sport of college football, and even basketball, has become over the past two years. It's a triple-a farm club for powerful schools in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and including the top portion of the ACC. 

The unlimited transfers and NIL have turned mid-major programs into developmental territory for powerhouse teams across the country. It's certainly not some hidden secret. Just take a look at the amount of players that entered the portal during this past academic year. The number was over 3,800 athletes, breaking the former record and sending some players into a tailspin when it comes to finding a new home. 

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JULY 17: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during Day One of 2023 SEC Media Days at Grand Hyatt Nashville on July 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Jimbo Fisher Speaks His Mind

For Jimbo Fisher, a guy who has won a national championship at Florida State, but ran out of time and excuses at Texas A&M, he's able to call it like he sees it because he used the same tactics in College Station. 

Speaking with former quarterback EJ Manuel and Jacob Hester on Thursday morning on SiriusXM, the former Aggies head coach did not hold back when describing the current state of collegiate athletics. 

"Here’s what’s happening, all of your mid-majors and some of your not-mid-majors, I’m going to say some of your ACC, Big 12, old Pac 12, some of those leagues, they’re becoming glorified junior colleges," Jimbo Fisher explained. "And some of those teams used to battle for playoffs and have great teams. They took that three-star guy or that four-star guy you missed and they developed him into a heck of a player and he became a great player at their school. 

"How about Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech? Would he have ever stayed at Texas Tech? Somebody would have came and got him. You know what I'm saying? And what's happening, your haves are out there saying, ‘OK, I need a corner and I need a tackle and I need a running back.' And they’re going to these four-year schools and just selecting, and those guys are really becoming glorified junior colleges, and it’s a shame.I mean great college football programs that have won big in the past and have had tremendously great players. But that what’s changed."

Jimbo Fisher Says ‘College Sports Is The Most Unfair Thing We Do’

When it comes to the parity within college athletics and the amount of money each school has the ability to spend, most recently coming from NIL collectives around campuses, or the amount of money each university can raise, we're at a crossroads. 

In the eyes of Jimbo Fisher, this comes down to finding a balance within collegiate sports, from the NCAA to commissioners of each conference. But the model that we are currently seeing being run is not fair, according to Fisher, who also says it's never been fair. 

"I’m going to be honest with you: College sports is the most unfair thing we do. College sports is not fair, because there’s haves and have-nots," Fisher told SiriusXM College Sports. "You think about how it’s set up. Each commissioner, Greg Sankey has done an unbelievable job for the SEC. Big Ten commissioners have done an unbelievable job for them. There’s only so many pieces of the pie, so they’ve taken them and they’ve hurt the ACC and the Big 12 and of course the PAC-12, who ended up folding. 

"I think we have to find a way to come together and get a head of college football, where everything is balanced. I don’t like the inequities that are going on. It’s not fair, but it’s never been fair to a really point. You say the NCAA was the governing body; no, because each individual conference operated with (autonomy) to itself. They operated on their own part to make each conference the best. And that's where we're missing the boat, because i know one thing, the salary cap in the NFL is the same across the board."

Jimbo Fisher has a strong stance on the current state of college athletics (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fisher thinks that everyone needs to be in the same boat when it comes to revenue sharing in college athletics, or the sport will continue to dwindle when it comes to parity. Those mid-major teams that are currently looked at as a farm system for major programs will continue, and the most powerful schools in college sports will breakaway down the road, maybe not with some type of super-league, but the gap will continue to grow. 

"I think somehow everybody has to have the same salary cap, because it’s not fair. And I’ve been in the ACC and I’ve been in the SEC," Fisher continued with Sirius XM. "I think we have to get a grip on this and find a way to make parity all the way across college football, or we’re missing the boat."

Either way, the landscape of sports in the college realm is going to continue to change, and revenue sharing is on the horizon, most likely this time next year. 

For a guy who has led powerful programs, along with benefiting from the transfer portal, Jimbo Fisher is saying the exact same thing college coaches across the country are thinking. There will come a time when more current coaches are speaking up on the issue, considering how much the upcoming changes will affect teams not in powerful conferences.