3 things to know about Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher

Three of the four coaches who have guided their teams to the inaugural College Football Playoff have previously won national titles. The most recent to do so is Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, who has now led the Seminoles to two straight undefeated regular seasons and is looking for a second consecutive national title to add to his resume.

After three years as Bobby Bowden’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Fisher replaced the Florida State legend as the school’s head coach prior to the 2010 season. He’s won at least 10 games in four of his five seasons at the helm, with at least 12 in each of the past three years. His worst season with the Seminoles came in 2011, when Florida State went 9-4 and finished No. 23 in the AP Poll.

Sure, he’s had nearly unprecedented success to start his head coaching career, but what else is there to know about Jimbo Fisher? Here are the three things to keep in mind as you watch Fisher and the Seminoles.

Well, so does just about every coach, but Fisher’s a more direct descendant. He joined Nick Saban’s new staff at LSU back in 2000 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, staying on with Les Miles for two years before moving on to Florida State. He spent five years as Saban’s offensive coordinator, helping lead the Tigers to a national championship and two SEC titles.

A former college quarterback himself (under Tommy Bowden at both Salem and Samford), Fisher got his start in the field as a quarterbacks coach. He’s produced successful signal-callers at pretty much every stop, with Patrick Nix, Rohan Davey, JaMarcus Russell, Christian Ponder, E.J. Manuel and Jameis Winston among his notable tutees.

Fisher’s public defense of quarterback Jameis Winston in the midst of sexaul assault allegations made him a controversial figure ... and also reportedly helped land a major commitment.