I can’t believe I have to say this, but no, Florida State should not hire Jimbo Fisher. The Florida State coaching search is about to pick up steam, and the speculation surrounding the Seminoles is going to run rampant.

Ridiculous names will be thrown around across the board, and some legitimate candidates will emerge as well. One name that immediately entered the conversation was Fisher, who won a national championship with the Seminoles in 2013 and now works for ESPN.

On the surface, the idea makes sense. However, a closer look at how Fisher’s last two stops ended should end this conversation before it gains any momentum.

Why the Jimbo Fisher reunion is tempting

Since Fisher left for Texas A&M, the program has bottomed out. Outside of a couple of good seasons under Mike Norvell, Florida State hasn’t recovered from his departure.

Fisher won a national championship in Tallahassee because he did a great job of stockpiling talent. He recruited the state of Florida at an exceptionally high level, and the results on the field reflected it. He went 83-23 with the Seminoles and finished with 10 wins in six of his eight seasons.

That number carries more weight than ever. If Florida State gets to 10 wins, it will be in the expanded College Football Playoff. For a fan base that has watched the program slide, a coach who has already delivered double-digit wins at the school would be an easy sell.

But nostalgia is not a strategy. Everyone needs to remember what went down with Fisher and why he’s currently unemployed.

The game has passed Fisher by

First off, Fisher stagnated at Florida State from 2015-17. He had a number of recruiting misses toward the end of his tenure, and the program clearly wasn’t the juggernaut it once was. Somehow, he still parlayed that into the job at Texas A&M.

In College Station, Fisher excelled on the recruiting trail because the Aggies had a ton of money to spend. Despite that, he failed to succeed on the field. The talent was there, and the results never followed.

The most glaring issue was his offense. Fisher called an antiquated, archaic system, and he refused to give up play-calling duties even as it became obvious the approach wasn’t working. That stubbornness defined the end of his time at Texas A&M.

The biggest risk in rehiring a former coach is whether he is capable of winning in the modern era. Based on the way things ended for Fisher, I find it hard to believe he is. He had a roster that wouldn’t listen to him, and he thought he was too smart to fail.

That combination is a nightmare for any program, let alone one trying to climb back into national relevance. College football has changed drastically since Fisher’s best days in Tallahassee, and nothing about his recent track record suggests he has adapted.

Additionally, Florida State doesn’t need a coach who can only recruit. Fisher proved at Texas A&M that elite recruiting classes mean very little when the coach can’t develop that talent and put it in a position to succeed. A five-star roster running a dated offense is still a dated offense.

Florida State needs to look forward, not backward

Why would Florida State believe it would get the 2013 version of Fisher rather than the version who flamed out at Texas A&M? The most recent evidence is the most relevant, and that evidence is damning.

The Seminoles need a coach who understands how to build an offense that can compete today. They need someone who can recruit in this landscape and still connect with a locker room. Fisher checked the first box years ago and has since failed the rest.

Understandably, some fans will be drawn to the familiarity and the national championship ring. But a reunion that looks good on paper could set the program back even further if it plays out the way his final years at both schools did.

Florida State’s decision-makers should resist the urge to chase the past and find a coach who can lead the program in the modern era.