Here is the link to the entire article...... http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3142649&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
I'm underwhelmed, I hope Fisher is contributing to his 401k because he might end up retiring before Bowden. A number of schools have done this recently, Texas Tech several years ago named Bobby Knights son as their next coach but Dad doesn't look like he's going to retire anytime soon. Same thing for Jim Boeheim at the 'Cuse he's named his successor without commiting to actually retiring. I think that Eddie Sutton had a deal for his son Sean but if not for Eddie falling off the wagon and getting caught drunk driving and peeing in a school yard (after hours), Sean would still be an assistant coach. Terry
Hmmmm .... maybe, maybe not: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-bianchi0707dec07,0,255187.column?coll=orl_sports_util Noles' wizard works magic with Bowden Mike Bianchi | SPORTS COMMENTARY December 7, 2007 It is a brilliant move and a desperate move and a meaningless move all rolled into one perplexing package. It's an elaborate illusion made by a man trying to fabricate stability where there is instability, trying to turn an untenable situation into a winnable one, trying to create a purpose and plan with some smoke and mirrors. Florida State president and de facto athletic director T.K. Wetherell is attempting a magic trick that not even David Copperfield can comprehend. And, yes, Copperfield once made a train car disappear. That's not nearly as difficult as making Bobby Bowden disappear. And in the end, isn't that what all of these smoke signals coming from Seminole Nation are all about? The Seminoles cannot, will not and should not callously kick out legendary Coach Bobby Bowden, but it appears they are at least willing to nudge him gently to the side. Which is why reports that Wetherell will soon appoint offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as the "head coach in waiting" qualify as "brilliant." Bobby can stay and go head to head with Joe Paterno in the ongoing fogy fight for immortality, but there is a young, charismatic, offensive-minded coach in-training who presumably will be able to convince recruits the program is stable and steadfast when, really, it is anything but. That's where the "desperate" part of this move comes in. Florida State's athletic program is a bit dysfunctional right now. Longtime AD Dave Hart is being forced out, the football program is mired in a prolonged state of mediocrity, the basketball program hasn't made the NCAA Tournament in close to a decade, and oh, yeah, there is an academic scandal that soon may turn into an NCAA investigation. With Hart gone, Wetherell now is truly the man behind the curtain, moving levers, flicking switches, pulling strings, manipulating reality and frantically trying to create the impression that a concrete rebuilding plan is in place. Wetherell is a career politician, and this could go down as one of his all-time great political moves. This is sort of like Hillary Clinton being both for and against the war in Iraq. T.K. apparently is telling his constituency that Jimbo will be FSU's next coach. Then again, he could change his stance completely in a year or two. T.K. -- Totally Krafty. And this is where the "meaningless" part of this move comes in. No matter what T.K. says in the coming days, there are no absolutes when it comes to Bobby's replacement. Jimbo never has been a head coach before and just completed his first year as Florida State's offensive coordinator. The Seminoles finished the regular season 7-5, and their offense was ranked an abysmal 82nd in the nation. Guess what? In two years, if the Seminoles are still 7-5 with a putrid offense, Carrie Fisher will have a better chance of replacing Bowden than Jimbo Fisher. And she hasn't done a decent movie since playing Tom Hanks' wife in The 'burbs. The bottom line is this: Jimbo simply is auditioning to become FSU's next coach. If the tryout goes well and the Seminoles start winning, he becomes Bobby's successor. If the tryout goes bad and the Seminoles continue to struggle, he goes from heir apparent to err aberrant. By now, we should know there's not a contract that can't be broken or bought out in college sports. Buying out a coach's contract for a million or two is chump change in today's world of $50 million collegiate athletic budgets. The Seminoles gave former offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden half-a-mill to leave -- and he didn't even have a contract. So don't get worked up over what you hear coming from Tallahassee in the next few days. This is all just a bunch of high-stakes hocus-pocus to send a message to recruits. It's the same sort of Monopoly-money mentality displayed by the University of Florida when AD Jeremy Foley extended Ron Zook's contract by two years before the 2004 season. A few months later, before the 2004 season was even complete, Zook was bought out for $1.8 million and fired. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college program, and colleges will do whatever's necessary to make sure recruits feel secure with the stability of the coaching staff. We've seen FSU make two such moves in recent weeks. First, the Seminoles extended embattled basketball Coach Leonard Hamilton's contract despite the fact he has not made the NCAA Tournament in five years at the school. Now, they are about to take the drastic step of picking a successor to a legendary football coach who hasn't yet decided to leave. In college sports, nothing is ever really as it appears. When you cut through all of the politics and PR and coaching tryouts and coaching buyouts, here's what's going on at Florida State: Bobby may or may not retire in a couple of years, and Jimbo may or may not replace him. Didn't we already know that before?