Change Needed for A&M

If Texas A&M expects to compete in the SEC and un upgrade in its head coach is needed

Change Needed for Texas A&M

The most disappointing team in college football this year is without a doubt the Texas A&M Aggies. A team that I ranked #7 in my preseason rankings and projected to be in the Fiesta Bowl is now 5-5 and in danger of having a 3rd losing season in 4 years under coach Mike Sherman. With the Aggies entering the SEC in 2012 is it time to send Sherman packing?

When Mike Sherman was first hired at Texas A&M following the 2007 season I thought it was odd that the Aggies were hiring a man that really had dropped off the coaching map since being fired from the Green Bay Packers in 2006. I really thought A&M could have gone out and landed a bigger name than a man who was an offensive coordinator for a mediocre(at best) Houston Texans team. Sherman certainly had some success at Green Bay with Favre at QB, but the man was responsible for the worst Green Bay team in 20 years in 2005. Still, as with all coaches I was willing to give the man a chance.

Sherman's first two years at Texas A&M weren't impressive, but he was taking on a rebuilding project and it appeared that the Aggies were going in the right direction under QB Jerrod Johnson. Recruiting had also improved under Sherman and with Johnson being named Big XII Preseason Player of the Year in 2010, it appeared as if the program was going under the right direction. Even with Johnson's struggles in the early part of 2010, Sherman was able to find a fantastic replacement in receiver turned QB Ryan Tannehill. Texas A&M closed the 2010 season winning 6 of their final 7 games, including a 24-17 win over Texas in Austin.

Despite being beat 41-24 by LSU in the Cotton Bowl, things looked up for the Aggie's program. Texas A&M was ready to return 18 starters in 2011 and Tannehill would be back at QB. This was a team that had a real chance to appear in their first BCS Game since the 1999 Sugar Bowl. So what has happened to Texas A&M in 2011? It's certainly not a lack of talent as the Aggies have more talent than most Big XII teams. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas are the only teams that could really point to talent as possible reasons as beating A&M. Missouri and Kansas State do have talent on their team, but Mizzou is in a rebuilding season and KSU is the product of a fantastic coach. Obviously, experience isn't a factor as A&M has more experience than most teams in the country. The problem has to be coaching right?

I've always thought you could identify a good coach by a four factors. 1) Has your coach accomplished things that have never been done at your school before? Steve Spurrier won 6 SEC Championships at Florida when the Gators had never won a championship before, he then went to South Carolina and won the schools first ever SEC East Division. 2) Is your program consistent with wins and losses from one season to the next? Bob Stoops has won 11 or more games in nine of his last eleven seasons with the Sooners. 3) Does your team make halftime adjustments and improve in the second half of games? Bobby Petrino's Arkansas Razorbacks have dominated teams in the second half this year. Despite falling behind several times in the first half, the Hogs have come out and dominated teams in the 2nd half. 4) Is your team as sharp in week twelve as they were in week one? Nick Saban's Alabama teams have always been great in week one and great in week twelve. His teams play the same way each week with very few ups and downs. Sherman fails in all four of these categories.

For some reason I get the impression Texas A&M doesn't realize the potential it has. Not only does A&M have one of the largest group of students and alumni in The United States, but it also has one of the most loyal group. Schools like South Florida and Central Florida are just as large as A&M, but those schools don't have the pride in the traditions of their school. The Aggie Family is a group that takes a pride unlike no other in their school's traditions, but it seems like the Aggie fans don't realize how big of a winner their program could become.  In many ways I see A&M like I did LSU in the 90s.

A&M has great alumni, a fertile recruiting area, a fantastic game day atmosphere, and lots of football tradition. What is holding this school back? Why is it that A&M has failed to be ranked in the top 10 of the final polls since 1994? The answer is coaching. When a school has everything it takes to be a big time winner and isn't producing the blame has to go to the man directing the program.

When Texas A&M enters the SEC in 2012 it will do so in better position than South Carolina did in 1992. The Gamecocks had never won a bowl game prior to 94 and entered the league as a bottom tier SEC school right away. It took the Gamecocks a decade of frustration in the 90s to become competitive in the league and it wasn't until this year that they finally broke through and won 6 SEC games in a season. The 90s were tough for the Gamecocks due to poor facilities, inability to keep recruits instate, and most importantly poor coaching. It wasn't until the Gamecocks landed back to back hall of fame coaches in Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier that the program started to turn around.

Texas A&M doesn't have the up hill climb South Carolina does. A&M has SEC talent on its team, but talent doesn't win it all in the SEC. There's a reason Arkansas has been a great SEC team the last two years and looks to be on a solid foundation in the future. It's because the Hogs went out and landed one of the best coaches in football in Bobby Petrino. Arkansas already had the facilities and financial support needed, but had to get a good head man. Petrino has overcome the lack of instate talent and built a top 10 program in college football.

Meanwhile in Florida, despite loads of instate talent and top 10 recruiting classes, the Gators are struggling because they do not have top tier coaches. Florida is loaded with 5 stars, but they have a first year head coach and an offensive coordinator who can struggles to stand up during games. We saw the same thing happen to LSU in the 90s. The Tigers had everything it took to become a winner, but Mike Archer, Dinardo, and Curley Hallman were not top tier coaches. It wasn't until Saban came along that the Tigers finally realized their potential as a program.

Texas A&M could fire Mike Sherman tomorrow and in my opinion it would become the most attractive job on the market. It's a SEC school with an insane amount of support and instate talent. Yes, Ohio State and Penn State have more winning tradition, but those two schools are in so much of a mess right now with their off the field troubles. A&M would attract a top tier coach without a doubt.

Now is the time for the Aggies. If they are going to be a contender in the SEC they need to start a new future today. Mike Sherman isn't going to win championships in the SEC and could spend 10 years in the Big XII and never win one. If Aggie fans are happy with 6-7 win seasons and visiting SEC venues then that's fine. My guess is that A&M fans want to enter this league as contenders and not just go to SEC tailgates for the party like Ole Miss has been doing for four decades .

Matt Barber
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