If Jimbo Fisher's standing as coach at Florida State were a poker game, Florida State just went all in with every chip it has.
The Seminoles have signed Fisher to a new contract worth an average of $5.5 million per season, according to foxsports.com. That would make Fisher the nation's third highest-paid coach, according to USA Today's annual database of coaching salaries in college football. Alabama coach Nick Saban earns more than $7 million a year, while Michigan State's Mark Dantonio takes home $5.63 million per season. The salary market for top college coaches has risen sharply in recent years, with no fewer than 11 earning in excess of $4 million per season.
Of course, if San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaughagrees to a reported six-year, $48 million offer from Michigan, Saban Dantonio and Fisher will all be dropping a notch on a salary list.
FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox issued a statement on the deal, noting that it was in the works in advance of the Seminoles' latest championship run:
"I am pleased that we have been able to secure Coach Fisher as our head coach for the long term. The commitment we are making to him is a reflection of the outstanding job he has done in leading our program to its current level of excellence. While we are delighted with the undefeated season this year and our upcoming appearance in the inaugural College Football Playoff, we began working on this new contract before the success of this past season was in full view. It is a great day for Florida State."
Fisher is 58-10 in five years as FSU's coach and is riding a 29-game win streak on the way to what could be a second consecutive national championship. The contract runs through 2022, although it's unclear whether buyout clauses, if any, would impact Fisher's ability to escape the deal for a different job.
Fisher won his fourth consecutive ACC title this year and will coach for his fifth consecutive bowl win against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
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