A&M Coaching Search

Thursday the Texas A&M Football program decided to enter the SEC with a new coach. Mike Sherman leaves A&M with a 25-25 record and certainly did not live up to the 2011 expectations that most had for the Aggies. Critics of the move point to the great recruiting class that Sherman has committed to play for the Aggies in 2013. My answer to those critics would be that everyone in the SEC recruits great and that it is coaching, not recruiting that wins big in the SEC. Florida out recruits Arkansas and South Carolina each year, but right now Spurrier and Petrino are coaching top 15 programs and Florida is exactly where A&M is.

Now is the time for the Aggie program to move forward. When you consider the issues going on at Penn State right now, Texas A&M is the best open job in the country right now. The facilities, fans, stadium atmosphere, traditions, and instate talent is fantastic. Now that this is a SEC job, some top names are certain to be interested in this job.

Where do the Aggies turn? Do they go with a young up and comer or an older coach? Offense or defense? Personally, when I think Texas A&M football I think of defense(the Wrecking Crew). A&M allowed 29 points per game ranking 76th nationally. To win in the SEC you have to do so with defense, something LSU and Alabama have shown. Even the Florida teams led by Tebow and Leak won with great defense, led by Charlie Strong.

The following are early names being mentioned with the job. 

1. Kevin Sumlin(Head Coach Houston)- Personally, I would stay away from Sumlin until he proves he can win without Keenum. Sumlin does have the Coogs at 12-0, but his schedule this year was awful and the Houston defense had some horrible performances against some bad teams. The name is being mentioned, but I would stay far away.

2. Gary Patterson(Head Coach TCU)- If A&M could land Patterson this would be a homerun hire. Patterson is without a doubt one of the 10 best coaches in the nation. He would certainly fit the mold of a defensive mind and he would win big in College Station. Problem is that Patterson seems happy with Fort Worth and gets some very nice incentives outside of just his contract with TCU

3. Kirby Smart (DC Alabama)- Smart is Nick Saban's top defensive guy and has been running the defense since Kevin Steele left for Clemson. Smart could end up being a great hire, but it is unknown how well he can do as a head coach. Saban assistants in the past haven't done that well as head coaches. Bobby Williams, Dooley, Muschamp, and Fisher have yet to prove they are elite level coaches. While Bama's defenses are great, most would admit that it is Saban running the show and not Smart

4. Charlie Strong(Head Coach Louisville)- Strong has coached under legends like Holtz, Spurrier, and Meyer. He has won multiple national championships as an assistant and has Louisville in prime position for a BCS bid entering this weekend. Strong is from Arkansas, so he does know Texas very well and is a great recruiter. His teams are tough, run the ball, and know how to play defense. Could be a perfect fit

5. Larry Fedora(Head Coach Southern Miss)- Fedora was born in College Station, TX and seems to be up for every job opening in the country. He's a great offensive mind and has done well at Southern Miss. The problem with Fedora is he seems to lose a game or two each year that he shouldn't. If A&M wants to stick with an offensive guy, they really couldn't go wrong with this hire, but I don't think he's the man that could take the Aggies to the next level.

6. Troy Calhoun(Head Coach Air Force)- Calhoun has a strong record of 41-23 at Air Force. It seems like every year his name is mentioned with some top positions and I do believe he has a great future, but would A&M really hire a guy that was OC for the Houston Texans when they just fired a former Texans OC? Still, this is an early contender, but I wouldn't expect it to gain much momentum

7. Chris Petersen(Head Coach Boise State)- If A&M could land Petersen this would be another homerun hire. Petersen is 71-6 at Boise State and is always fundamentally sound on offense and defense. With Boise State's conference situation being so crazy now would he be willing to make a move? UCLA is said to be interested, but the Bruins don't even have a 100 yard outside practice field. Why would you go to UCLA when you could have a program committed to winning like A&M to coach at?

8. Skip Holtz(Head Coach South Florida)- Holtz was an offensive coordinator in the SEC for 6 seasons at South Carolina. As Head Coach of East Carolina he won two conference championships and while being HC at UConn he won 10 games his final season with the Huskies. Last year at USF he won a bowl game over Clemson, but had a down 2011 with a 5-7 record. Holtz seems happy in Tampa, but with the Big East losing Syracuse and Pitt how much longer can the conference keep their BCS status?

9. Bud Foster(DC Virginia Tech)- The best defensive mind in college football that does not have a head coaching job is Foster in my opinion. Once again Virginia Tech is in the top 10 and once again it is because of Foster's dominating defense. Foster has won the Broyles Award for being the nation's top assistant. Foster could have had multiple head coaching jobs in the past, but he's been looking for that perfect job. A&M would be that kind of job for Foster

10. Butch Davis(Unemployed)- The best defensive mind that has no job right now. Davis was let go by UNC due to a NCAA Investigation. Davis is one of the nation's top recruiters and does have Texas roots since he was on the Dallas Cowboy staff for 6 years. There is no doubt Davis could win big at A&M, but would the Aggies be willing to hire a man who put a NCAA investigation on North Carolina. It should be noted Davis is credited with cleaning up the Miami program after the mess Dennis Erickson left.
Matt Barber
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