Who would have thought that after a lopsided win for Texas A&M football, head coach Jimbo Fisher would be fired? That obviously didn't happen too often during Fisher's six seasons in College Station. But less than 24 hours after the Aggies handed Mississippi State a 51-10 loss on Saturday, Fisher was out as the head man. And Texas A&M University was out nearly $80 million.

The Texas A&M football program is one of those that falls in line with a number of other schools that have yet to find their way back to relevance, though it hasn't been for lack of trying. The Aggies, along with the University of Miami and Nebraska, and probably a few more, have long tried to find their way back to national prominence after prior years of dominance. The Aggies, however, have a much longer timeframe without a national title than the others mentioned.

Texas A&M football's last claimed national championship dates back all the way to 1939, well before the days of anything like the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) or the College Football Playoff (CFP) could even be conceived. But having Texas football pride, not to mention becoming part of the prestigious Southeastern Conference where “it just means more,” the Aggies have made every attempt to stay within the top echelon of the conference and the country, yet they've failed because they can't figure out the head coaching situation.

Since joining the SEC in 2012, the Aggies' football program has only had two head coaches, starting with Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin had only one double-digit win season, followed by a nine-win season, with three bowl wins, for a 51-26 record. Fisher won nine games only twice, never once got the Aggies to a double-digit win season, and finished with a 44-25 record.

Yet, all it took was for Fisher to fool everybody during the pandemic-impacted season where the Aggies finished in the top-5, and the university then gave him a contract extension, which in turn raised his buyout. Now, three years later, Fisher is out, and Texas A&M finds themselves in the middle of a coaching search and writing a fat check.

Who does Texas A&M football move onto after Jimbo Fisher?

It really wasn't if, but when Fisher was going to be canned. Again, the biggest question about Fisher's tenure was concerning his massive buyout and if Texas A&M could truly afford the blow. But either way, they were going to suffer somehow by having to pay the former Florida State head coach. Now at least they can move on. The question, though, is who do they move on to?

Unlike last time when Fisher was looking to leave Tallahassee, there are no hot names amongst head coaches currently. There are no proven winners, former national championship-winning coaches coming from the NFL like a Nick Saban from the Miami Dolphins or Fisher from another college program. It's the fear of the unknown and unproven that at this juncture, Texas A&M can't afford — literally.

The Athletics' Bruce Feldman recently made a list of potential head coaching candidates that Texas A&M could be looking at. We're going to rank some of these from the most likely to least likely, along with a few others not mentioned.

Mike Elko, Duke

Mike Elko was brought in with Fisher as his defensive coordinator back in 2018 for Texas A&M football. Elko took the head coaching job at Duke last season and got the Blue Devils to their first nine-win season since 2014. Elko has done a tremendous job at Duke, mostly because of extremely good defenses he's put together.

Elko seems like the most logical and realistic hire here because of his familiarity with the university and that he's one of the few hot names within the coaching circuits right now. But he's not even through two seasons at Duke. Is that a large enough sample size? Also, could his involvement with Fisher actually be a deterrent? That remains to be seen; however, another plus for Elko would be that he would possibly come at a cheaper cost.

Lance Leipold, Kansas

Who has done a better job in worse circumstances than Lance Leipold at Kansas? That answer is nobody. Leipold took a program in the absolute slums and brought them back to relevancy. Before last season, Kansas hadn't been to a bowl game since 2008 and hadn't won more than three games in a season in over a decade.

Leipold has been a proven winner wherever he's been, winning six Division III national titles and even made Buffalo a Top-25 program. But we all know that the SEC is a different animal, and maybe Leipold could be comfortable in Kansas if the university is serious and committed to building the program. At 59 years old, taking a job like Texas A&M football would be the move at seemingly the right time. He would have every luxury at his disposal in College Station.

Chris Klieman, Kansas State

Much like Leipold, Chris Klieman is proven to be a winner, winning national titles at the FCS level. Last year, Klieman, the Kansas State even surprised everyone and beat TCU for the Big 12 title, going 10-4 on the season. The Wildcats are 7-3 this season and just barely lost to Texas in overtime a few weeks ago.

You would have to think that Klieman has hit his ceiling at Kansas State, especially after winning the conference title last season and making it to the Sugar Bowl. That game was a loss to Alabama, who Klieman would see a lot more of if he became the new Texas A&M football coach.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

It seems that Lane Kiffin's name is always going to be linked to the next big head coaching vacancy. It was the same way last season when apparently Kiffin and Auburn were in deep talks with one another. With Kiffin, you never quite know what he will do next, as he is seemingly always on the move, and has been his entire career, dating back to his days at Tennessee.

This one seems less likely, even though if the price was right, it would be difficult for Kiffin to turn down. Plus, there's more of a chance to compete with the likes of Alabama, LSU, and now Texas and Oklahoma within the SEC at Texas A&M rather than at Ole Miss.