Texas A&M Football

Officials from Texas A&M wrote to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey asking the conference to punish Alabama head coach Nick Saban for his comments about how the Aggies "bought every player on their team."

On3's Andy Wittry shared a portion of a letter by A&M President M. Katherine Banks and athletic director Ross Bjork:

We write to express Texas A&M University's disappointment and outrage at the recent statements made by Alabama University [sic] Head Football Coach Nick Saban that 'A&M bought every player on their team-made a deal for Name, Image, Likeness.'

Coach Saban's statement was a blatant violation of SEC bylaws regarding sportsmanship. More significantly, without citing any facts to support his statement, Coach Saban is accusing every, single player in Texas A&M's recruiting class and current football team of violating NCAA NIL guidelines and Texas state law.

Banks and Bjork said the SEC should "consider monetary and participation penalties against Coach Saban."

There typically isn't much to talk about in college football during the summer months. Spring practice is over and everybody is gearing up for the season ahead.

Saban changed that when he—intended or not—took a shot at Texas A&M after Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff assembled a potentially historic 2022 recruiting class.

Saban almost assuredly isn't alone in believing NIL deals, despite the fact they can't be offered as direct inducements for a player to sign, played a role in A&M's success on the recruiting trail.

Fisher didn't take the remarks lying down. He quickly arranged a press conference to respond and didn't hold his opinions about Saban back. At one point, Fisher told reporters to "go dig into his past" to learn more about his conference rival.

The SEC publicly reprimanded Fisher and Saban, while the latter apologized for his comments about Texas A&M.

While the conference's desire to rein the two in is understandable, some bad blood between coaches isn't necessarily a bad thing. The back and forth between Fisher and Saban was a bit reminiscent of the intense rivalry between Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer.

The Oct. 8 meeting between Alabama and Texas A&M was already a highly anticipated clash, and now it's must-watch television as the Crimson Tide look to avenge their upset last year.

Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher said Wednesday he's "moving on" from his feud with Alabama counterpart Nick Saban.

Fisher told reporters his focus has shifted to college football's "more pressing needs" as it tries to evolve in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era:

The verbal exchange began May 19 when Saban said "A&M bought every player on their team" since NIL deals became available following a Supreme Court ruling last June that barred the NCAA from limiting payments to student-athletes.

While it was just the latest in a long line of comments the longtime Bama coach has made questioning the direction of college sports in the NIL era, it was also his most direct rebuke of any program's specific use of collective pools—each program's money available for endorsement deals—to attract recruits.

It drew a strong response from Fisher, who described Saban as a "narcissist" and urged people to dig into Saban's past.

"Some people think they're God. Go dig into how God did his deal, you may find out about a guy that a lot of things you don't wanna know," Fisher said. "We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody that's ever coached with him."

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey issued a public reprimand against both coaches, saying they didn't meet the "established expectations for conduct and sportsmanship."

On Tuesday, Saban apologized for singling out Texas A&M in his prior remarks, but he didn't retract the allegations and instead refocused his ire toward the NIL environment.

"I didn't say anybody did anything wrong," Saban said.

The situation generated ample headlines not only because the coaches are currently rivals in the SEC, but also because they worked together at LSU in the early 2000s.

Saban was the head coach of the Tigers from 2000 through 2004, and Fisher was his offensive coordinator for all five of those seasons.

Brody Miller, Bruce Feldman and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic reported there were a lot of issues between the pair during those years despite the on-field success, which included the 2003 national championship.

"There was [friction] all the time," one source told The Athletic. "Will [Muschamp] and Kirby [Smart] and all the defensive guys all bowed down to Nick, but Nick depended on Jimbo a lot. But Nick is so hard on his [offensive coordinators]. They were always at each other's throats."

Another added: "Oh, it ain't like Nick and Kirby. There is no love lost between Nick and Jimbo—at all."

Two decades later, those lingering frustrations appeared to re-emerge in recent weeks.

Fisher's comments Wednesday may push the tension to the back burner for awhile, but the topic is sure to return ahead of the Oct. 8 clash between the Aggies and Crimson Tide.

Jimbo Fisher isn't backing off from his criticism of Nick Saban.

The Texas A&M coach spoke to KSAT 12's Greg Simmons on Friday, saying Saban's allegations were "complete lies."

"I just researched this," Fisher said. "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."

Saban had accused Texas A&M of getting NIL contracts for its entire 2022 recruiting class.

"I mean, we were second in recruiting last year," Saban said last Wednesday. "A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team—made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn't buy one player, all right? But I don't know if we're gonna be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It's tough."

The Alabama coach's comments led to a forceful denial at a Thursday press conference from Fisher, who made several insinuations about the way Saban's teams have handled the recruiting trail over the years. While he wouldn't go as far as to detail any Saban misdeeds, Fisher threw some 95mph fastballs right back in his mentor-turned-rival's direction.

Saban would later backtrack on his comments, saying he never meant to single out any school. The SEC also issued public reprimands of the two coaches for their public squabble. 

Fisher also took issue with the media's handling of the situation, saying reporters are more interested in getting a story out than fact-checking.

"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."

Texas A&M had previously been accused of having a $30 million NIL fund for recruits, a rumor that made the rounds on social media but was never substantiated. 

Coaching legend Steve Spurrier may not be in the profession anymore, but that's not stopping the 77-year-old from needling some of his former peers.

Alabama's Nick Saban drew the ire of Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher when he said the Aggies "bought every player on their team" after they put together a historic 2022 recruiting class. Fisher immediately responded with a press conference for the ages.

Spurrier wondered why Fisher had been so incensed and questioned whether Saban said anything that lacked a level of truth.

"I don't think Saban told any lies in there, so I don't know what he was mad about," he said to DawgNation's Mike Griffith.

It's a shame the "Head Ball Coach" isn't still active because he otherwise might have waded into the matter with some more pointed trash-talking.

Bobby Bowden once described Spurrier as a "natural-born needler." He's someone who once remarked upon learning of a fire that destroyed 20 books at an Auburn library that "the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet."

Some of that acerbic wit came out in the interview with Griffith when he spoke about Fisher's A&M tenure.

"He hasn't beat much of anybody, but he beat Saban last year," he said. "But they haven't won the division or anything since he's been there."

Saban issued an apology to Fisher on Thursday, saying he was wrong to call out a specific school when expressing his concerns with the NIL era.

Unfortunately for fans, this might be the end of the war of words between Saban and Fisher for now. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey reprimanded both coaches, and he asked all of the conference's coaches to avoid media appearances for the time being.

Tension between Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M counterpart Jimbo Fisher reportedly started long before this week's verbal exchange.

Saban's outcry against college football's current name, image and likeness (NIL) rules Wednesday included him saying "A&M bought every player on their team," which led Fisher to call his former boss a "narcissist" during a press conference Thursday.

Brody Miller, Bruce Feldman and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic reported Friday that sources who worked alongside both coaches on Saban's star-studded staffs at LSU in the early 2000s said there were already issues between the duo back in those days.

"There was [friction] all the time," one staffer said. "Will [Muschamp] and Kirby [Smart] and all the defensive guys all bowed down to Nick, but Nick depended on Jimbo a lot. But Nick is so hard on his [offensive coordinators]. They were always at each other's throats."

Another source told The Athletic: "Oh, it ain't like Nick and Kirby. There is no love lost between Nick and Jimbo—at all."

Saban, who also made reference to Jackson State in his remarks Wednesday, appeared on SiriusXM Radio (via Yahoo Sports' Sam Cooper) after Fisher's press conference and issued an apology.

"I should have never really singled anybody out. That was a mistake, and I really apologize for that part of it," Saban said.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement reprimanding two of the conference's high-profile coaches for their public remarks.

"The membership of the Southeastern Conference has established expectations for conduct and sportsmanship that were not met last night nor today," Sankey said Thursday.

Saban and Fisher spent five seasons together at LSU beginning in 2000. It was a successful run that included Saban's first of seven national championships as a head coach in 2003.

Despite the success, the coaches rarely saw eye-to-eye about how the Tigers program was being run and the frustration often carried over to the practice field.

"Jimbo would try to pencil-whip Nick to win the drill," a source told The Athletic. "And Nick would say, 'That's not what it's about. We're trying to get better getting ready for an opponent. That's not how they're gonna do it in a game.'"

Another added: "Jimbo wanted to run all these fancy plays. Jimbo is an 'offensive guru.' ... He wanted to showcase his playbook, and that was the biggest argument between those two."

Saban ultimately left in 2005 for a short stint with the NFL's Miami Dolphins before returning to the college ranks with Alabama in 2007.

Fisher stayed at LSU until 2007, when he left to take over as offensive coordinator at Florida State. He'd be promoted to the Seminoles' head coach in 2010 and won a national title in 2013. He accepted the A&M job in 2018.

Two decades after that initial friction developed, they're now major rivals, both on the field and on the recruiting trail in the SEC. Based on Saban's unprovoked attack and Fisher's response, it appears a lot of hard feelings remain.

It adds plenty of intrigue to the Oct. 8 clash between the Aggies and the Crimson Tide, which is now one of the must-see games of the 2022 college football season.

Head football coach Jimbo Fisher isn't the only high-profile member of Texas A&M's athletic department who took issue with comments from Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

Saban turned heads Wednesday when he told reporters: "A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn't buy one player. But I don't know if we're going to be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it."

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated he views the comments as a "personal attack" on the school and Fisher, and he reached out to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey about Saban potentially violating the SEC's sportsmanship bylaws.

"I don't know why Nick Saban would say what he said except he's threatened," Bjork said. "There is a saying … an emperor who loses their dynasty lashes out. He seems to be making excuses.

"This is personal. Coach Fisher views this as a personal attack on his integrity and on Texas A&M’s integrity. To have personal attacks, to say that the only reason A&M is [recruiting well] is NIL money is wrong."

Bryan Fischer of Athlon Sports shared the bylaws Bjork referenced:     

The athletic director's comments were frankly mild compared to Fisher's explosive press conference Thursday.

He told reporters Saban's suggestions were "despicable. We're taking shots at 17-year-old kids. We never bought anyone. When [Saban] doesn't get his way or things don't go his way. Go dig into [Saban's past]. It's despicable. It's personal to us. And I know the guy. Really well."

Fisher, who was an offensive coordinator on Saban's staff when the Alabama coach was at LSU, also called his former boss a "narcissist."

"Some people think they're God," Fisher said. "Go dig into how God did his deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past."      

Sankey issued public reprimands of both Saban and Fisher:

While Alabama is widely considered to be the gold standard for modern-day college football in large part because of the success Saban has enjoyed both on the field and the recruiting trail, the Aggies landed the No. 1 overall class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Texas A&M also handed the Crimson Tide their only loss last season until the College Football Playoff championship game against Georgia.

This isn't the first time Fisher has defended his program against such rumors after bringing in such an impressive recruiting class. He said the "insinuation" players only came to the Aggies because of money was "insulting" in February, noting "the things that people say are very irresponsible."       

The NCAA may have at least looked into Texas A&M, as Dellenger reported Bjork said the organization requested information about the program's recruiting but never followed up after the initial ask.

One thing is certain. The Oct. 8 matchup between Alabama and Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa will be appointment viewing for all college football fans.

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher fired back at Alabama counterpart Nick Saban, who said Wednesday the Aggies "bought every player on their team" since the start of college football's name, image and likeness (NIL) era.

"It's despicable. We're taking shots at 17-year-old kids," Fisher told reporters Thursday. "We never bought anyone. When [Saban] doesn't get his way or things don't go his way—go dig in to [Saban's past]. It's despicable. It's personal to us. And I know the guy really well."

Fisher also called Saban a "narcissist."

The longtime Alabama coach has been an outspoken critic of the mostly unregulated nature of recruiting via NIL offers since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last June the NCAA could no longer bar payments to student-athletes.

Saban explained Wednesday coaches are aware of how much NIL money is available for deals through the school's collective pool and can give prospective recruits an idea of what they can earn by choosing their program.

"That's not what it was supposed to be," he said. "That's what it's become. And that's the problem in college athletics right now. Now every player is saying, 'Well, what am I going to get?'"

Fisher confirmed Saban has since reached out to have a conversation, but the A&M coach isn't planning to call him back.

"We're done. He showed you who he is," Fisher said.

He reiterated his desire for people to take a closer look at Saban.

"Some people think they're God. Go dig into how God did his deal," Fisher said. "You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don't want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past."

Fisher, who served as an offensive coordinator under Saban at LSU from 2000 through 2004, also defended his own reputation.

"You can call me anything you want to call me. You ain't call me a cheat," he told reporters. "I don't cheat and I don't lie. I learned that when I was a kid, if you did that, your old man slapped you 'side the head. Maybe somebody should have slapped [Saban]."

Fisher and the Aggies are scheduled to visit Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on Saban and the Crimson Tide on Oct. 8.

This week's exchange ensures there will be plenty of extra eyes on that SEC matchup.

It appears Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban might not be a fan of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness policy, which has affected the way college football programs recruit players. 

While speaking with reporters Wednesday, Saban claimed the reason Texas A&M finished first in recruiting last year was because the school "bought every player on their team" thanks to NIL. 

Saban said Wednesday, according to AL.com's Mike Rodak:

I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players. You read about it, you know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness.

“We didn’t buy one player. Aight? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”

Saban's comments come after he said during an interview on The Paul Finebaum Show last week that there needed to be more "parity" in college football as things have changed with the addition of NIL and the transfer portal. 

"Same scholarship (count), same academic support, whatever it is," Saban said, as transcribed by USA Today's Taylor Jones. "I don’t think we have that balance right now, which can impact the parity of college football and college athletics as a whole. I know we have a lot of good people working on it and I’m sure they will come up with a good solution for us."

Finebaum later addressed Saban's comments after one of his callers mentioned that the Alabama head coach possibly mentioned "parity" in college football with the Aggies on his mind.

Finebaum said he didn't believe the caller's take was unrealistic because Texas A&M has the money and resources to eventually become a powerhouse. 

He said, via 247Sports:

Since the day A&M arrived, there's been a whispering fear about what would happen if they ever got it right because — this is just my opinion, but there's only one school in the country I think that can compete with A&M from a financial standpoint and that's Texas. Those two are standalone when it comes to ability and resources, and this is a money game right now that we're talking about here. I think, when you hear the Sabans of the world complaining, that's why he's saying what he's saying.

Texas A&M beat Alabama 41-38 last year, but the Crimson Tide have dominated the matchup over the years, owning an 11-3 record against the Aggies dating back to 1942. While Saban doesn't have much to worry about now as his team has won the national title three times since 2016, Texas A&M could one day be a problem.

The Aggies landed four five-star recruits in the 2022 class and finished with the No. 1 signing class for the 2022 cycle, per 247Sports. That said, Texas A&M has yet to land a 2023 five-star recruit, though there's still a number of high-rated prospects who have yet to announce their commitment. 

At the time rumors were circulating that Texas A&M had the top-ranked recruiting class for 2022 because of NIL, head coach Jimbo Fisher said the insinuation was "insulting" and that "the things that people say are very irresponsible."

Alabama and Texas A&M are set to meet again during the 2022 season in October, and things should be quite heated between the two sides coming off of Saban's comments. 

Texas A&M wide receiver Demond Demas was arrested Wednesday after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend last weekend. 

David Wilson of ESPN obtained a probable cause affidavit from the Brazos County (Texas) Sheriff's Office that alleges Demas and the unnamed woman got into a verbal argument before he physically assaulted her. She told police Demas pushed her head into a wall then grabbed her and threw her off a bed, causing her to bite through her bottom lip. 

"The injury caused bleeding, loose teeth, swelling and a hole to the bottom lip," the affidavit said.

Demas was released from jail Wednesday after posting $5,000 bond. Texas A&M said he's been suspended from school and all football activities pending the result of the investigation.

Demas recorded 15 receptions for 235 yards and one touchdown in 2021. He was the nation's No. 25 overall recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports.

The Texas A&M Aggies will have a hard-hitting safety in their future secondary after Jacoby Mathews committed to their 2022 recruiting class Wednesday, per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren.

The 6'2" and 193-pound Mathews is a 4-star prospect and the No. 38 overall player, No. 2 safety and No. 3 player from the state of Louisiana in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

It is no surprise a number of SEC schools recruited the Louisiana native given his location and skill set, and Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Texas A&M were all on his list of interested teams at one point during the recruiting process.

Mathews initially chose the Tigers but decommitted from LSU in July 2021 even though Brody Miller of The Athletic noted at the time he was "a major recruiter" for the team in an effort to get other top players to join him at his home state's flagship program.

That he was so highly sought-after is no surprise, and Mathews' athleticism immediately stands out considering he played both safety and quarterback in high school. He also played basketball and figures to use the athleticism and speed necessary to do that to chase down ball-carriers and make plays against the pass at the collegiate level.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports projected Mathews as a future second- or third-round pick in the NFL draft and highlighted his ability to change directions, cover even the deepest parts of the field and make plays on the ball when it is in the air.

His physicality should also help him play in the box as a versatile defender who can help stop the run or perhaps even rush the quarterback in certain situations.

His ability to play various roles as a defender could help him see the field right away and develop into one of the most important defensive players for Texas A&M during his career.

That the Aggies were able to convince him to join their program is a major win on the recruiting trail, especially since they were competing against other teams in the SEC West such as LSU and Alabama.

It will be an even more important victory on the recruiting trail if Mathews can help lead them to wins against those schools down the line.