Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said last week he received interest from several NFL teams over the past two seasons, but he is not interested in leaving the Seminoles at the moment.
According to Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, Fisher described the offers as “decently serious” in an exclusive interview, but he has not deeply considered them:
I love college and I had opportunities to go to pro football as an assistant coach and as a coordinator and I’ve had inquiries as a head coach. … It’s got to be the right organization at the right time and the right situation if you’re ever interested.
[…]
But I love what we have going and if we can keep the same culture of what we’ve able to create and keep progressing forward in the things we want to do and give us everything we need to do to be successful … I’d love to be here forever and ever.
Fisher did go on to say that “you can’t ever say never” in the football coaching world.
Gridiron Now’s Buddy Martin reaffirmed Fisher’s status at Florida State in a separate interview published Sunday:
FSU’s Jimbo Fisher seems quite content where he is https://t.co/vrKjEcy3Pw
— Gridiron Now (@gridironnow) May 23, 2016
Considering what Fisher has done during his time at the helm of Florida State, it is no surprise he would have suitors from the NFL.
Fisher is 64-19 in six seasons in Tallahassee, including an undefeated, national championship-winning campaign in 2013. The Seminoles have been in a New Year’s Six bowl in each of the past four years, and the team won the ACC championship every season from 2012 to 2014.
Recruiting prowess is a key to the foundation Fisher has built. Florida State has finished with a top-three recruiting class in each of the past three seasons, per 247Sports‘ composite team rankings.
Per USA Today, Fisher was the fifth-highest-paid coach in college football last season, making a little over $5 million a year. If an NFL offer does ever pique Fisher’s interest, he would have considerable leverage to receive an even heftier contract from Florida State.
Coaching statistics are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.