A cautionary tale for A&M, Tech before jockeying for new coach
SAN ANTONIO — Go ahead and do what you feel you need to do, Texas A&M. Texas Tech, the same goes for you.
You know your standards far better than the rest of us do, and far be it from some outsider to tell you your business.
Just be aware, though, that if you make the moves everyone expects you to make, you are about to become buyers in what looks to be one of the biggest seller’s markets of the century.
And it sure would be a shame if either of you overestimated your purchasing power.
You are aware of the dangers, right? Remember how you both laughed so hard at those dysfunctional fat cats at Texas, who puffed out their chests and kept insisting they could do better but have not?
Surely you reasonable fellows at A&M and Tech, what with your clear perspective and saltof-the-earth wisdom, won’t let your egos cloud your judgment the way the Longhorns did.
Twice in the last four years they changed coaches, and they thought their money (they earned more revenue than any athletic program this century) and track record (they spent most of the previous decade in and around the national top 10) would get them whatever they
wanted.
Can you believe they thought they could hire Nick Saban away from Alabama? Or Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State? Or either of the Harbaugh brothers away from the NFL, when both were there?
They wound up hiring two guys who had never been a head coach in a major conference. Maybe the second one will work out. We will see.
But the point is, Aggies and Red Raiders know better. They do not panic. They do not overreact. They never would allow an emotional response to one or two close losses to affect their judgment when it comes to the long-term future of their programs.
If A&M ultimately decides it can do better than Kevin Sumlin, the rest of us can be sure that decision was made only after careful consideration of history, with a nuanced understanding of the coaching landscape.
Is Kingsbury gone?
If Tech comes to the determination it can do better than Kliff Kingsbury, who are we to argue? Surely the Red Raiders would not fire him unless they had assurances from a slam-dunk candidate capable of achieving what Kingsbury could not on the South Plains.
Without such assurances, the sanguine powers that be at Tech and A&M would not even consider making such a move in the first place. After all, anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention to college football realizes athletic directors are about to enter an offseason in which it figures to be tougher than ever to fill a job.
In the Southeastern Conference alone, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi have openings. Arkansas and A&M might join them. Elsewhere, changes are anticipated at Nebraska, UCLA and BYU.
And when many of these positions are filled, it will open high-profile spots in other places. Potential candidates for some of the above jobs include Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, Oregon’s Willie Taggart, Washington State’s Mike Leach and even long shots like TCU’s Gary Patterson or Florida State’s Fisher.
If you are Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt and have your heart set on some young can’t-miss coach to replace Kingsbury, can you be sure your choice will not wait to see if some of those other jobs are filled first?
If you are A&M athletic director Scott Woodward — or more to the point, some rich A&M regent — can you be sure Fisher and Patterson are not just using you the way Saban once used UT to get a raise? If not, you are going to be tussling for leftovers with a bunch of other proud programs at the same time, while a new December signing period threatens to tear apart a recruiting class.
And here is the thing, Aggies — there are plenty of legitimate, justifiable reasons to believe that you will offer the most attractive landing spot out there. It’s not outlandish to think a coach would be crazy to turn you down.
Sumlin’s success
But it’s also not outlandish to think places like Florida, Tennessee and Nebraska can make some of those same claims. It’s sort of in the eye of the beholder, and you had better be sure the beholder sees things the same way you do.
That being said, surely you knew this. If Sumlin finishes with at least eight victories for a sixth consecutive season — something that’s happened only one other time at A&M in 115 years — and you think that’s not enough, do what you feel you need to do.
After all, what could go wrong?