Clark: An imperfect end for the perfect hire

The way it ended left a sour taste in a lot of mouths.

I get that.

Because Florida State deserved better than the way Jimbo Fisher handled his exit, especially if the story from the Houston Chronicle on Friday is true - that he's known for months he was heading to greener pastures in College Station (his reported contract is for 10 years and $75 million - that's some serious green).

More: Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher leaving to take Texas A&M head coaching job

I understand there will be some animosity. Not only because of how Fisher dealt with the departure - being tight-lipped, wanting to coach FSU one final time when it was clear he didn't want to be the FSU coach anymore - but because he'd have the audacity to want to leave Florida State at all.

So I get the viewpoint of the common fan: This is an elite college football program. This is a great job. A destination job, partner. One that's won more games since 1980 than anyone in the country. It's also won three national titles and three Heisman Trophies. And you're going to leave all that for the University of Texas's step brother? The extra money is nice, but you can't buy championships. You have to win them. And they don't win them. Ever.

So good luck, buddy. Maybe you can be the first person since color TV was invented to win a national championship at Texas A&M. Maybe you can crack the code. Go yell at those Aggie quarterbacks for a while and see if you can turn it around!

Sure. I get that sentiment. I get there might be some anger. Some incredulity.

But once that anger subsides, once we all come to grips with the fact that a coach just left Florida State University for Texas A&M, I think we'll all look back and agree that Jimbo Fisher was the absolute perfect hire for the Seminoles. At the absolute perfect time.

More: Florida State releases official statements on Jimbo Fisher

Because he was an assistant for three years, he got to see up close what problems needed to be fixed first. He had a plan, a vision, on how Florida State could get back to being the best in the ACC and one of the best in the country.

It worked masterfully. There were some hiccups along the way - the three straight losses in 2011, the inexplicable meltdown at N.C. State in 2012 - but by 2013 he had put together a roster that will go down as one of the best in college football history.

That team will always be remembered around here. Because it was the best one in school history and one of the best in the history of the sport. Jimbo Fisher gave that to Florida State. He also gave you Dalvin Cook, Jameis Winston, Rashad Greene, Timmy Jernigan, Cam Akers, Telvin Smith, Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James and on and on and on.

You saw 29 straight wins. And 29 guys get drafted in three years.

You saw seven straight victories over Miami. And seven out of eight against Florida.

Keep in mind, when Jimbo took over as head coach the Gators had beaten the Seminoles six straight years. During the 2009 game, Tim Tebow's Senior Day, CBS broadcaster Gary Danielson remarked it was like the varsity playing the JV.

That got flipped real quick. Thanks to Jimbo.

More: Odell Haggins to become Florida State's interim head coach

He went a combined 14-2 against his in-state rivals. He won three ACC Championships and a national title. He won 80 percent of his games overall.

He was a great hire.

There's no other way to look at it.

But he's gone now. And people aren't happy with the way he left.

It's hard to fathom, but he obviously really wanted to coach this Saturday, to go out in Doak Campbell Stadium one last time with his Seminoles, to get them to a bowl for the 36th straight year. All the while knowing he'd be heading to Texas A&M after the game.

That's just a ridiculous notion. He should've known better. He should've handled this better.

More: Clark: An ugly scene for Coach Jimbo Fisher that could have been avoided

First and foremost, what kind of reaction could he possibly have been expecting from fans if this uncertainty had still been hanging over the program at kickoff? There would have been real anger, real boos, loud boos, for a head coach that was dragging his feet on announcing a decision everyone already knew had been made.

But more to the point, if you don't want to be the Florida State head coach anymore then you don't get to coach Florida State anymore. That's how it works.

This isn't a MAC school. This isn't like one of those scenes we see each year, when a coach at a mid-major program gets hired away by one of the big boys before a bowl, but is still allowed to coach one final game with his players before moving onto the bigger house and the better program.

Florida State ain't that.

And it's remarkable how close we seemingly got to that actually happening, to Jimbo actually wearing a garnet FSU pullover on Saturday when we all knew he was going to be trading it for a maroon one (or burgundy, whatever Texas A&M's color is) a few hours later.

More: Clark: FSU fans getting tired of this yearly saga

But cooler, smarter heads prevailed. Finally. And Fisher realized that was untenable. And he officially resigned on Friday, avoiding what could have been a truly ugly scene inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

Now we're left with the first real coaching search Florida State has conducted since December of 1975! You know what the No. 1 song in America was back then? "That's the way (I like it)" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The No. 1 movie was "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

We're talking a long, long, long time ago, people.

Fisher had to take over for a legend back in 2009. And he did remarkably well.

The new hire won't be taking over for a legend, but he'll be taking over for a guy that rebuilt a once-great program back into a national power. With lightning speed.

As ugly as this last season has been, as ugly as the final days were, that should never, ever be forgotten.