Look at the latest Associated Press Poll. How many teams from Texas are in the top 10? Answer: one, TCU at No. 10. Look at the top 20. How many teams from Texas? Again, one, TCU. Top 25, same answer. The state of Texas is there for the taking. Will Texas A&M take advantage?
The Aggies are looking for a new head coach. Maybe they already have one under wraps. But the next head coach at Texas A&M must take full advantage of the incredible wealth of talent not only in and around the Houston area, but all of Texas. It’s a state so large and talent-rich that it has served several local top programs in the past, and with talent to spare for programs like Oklahoma, Arkansas and LSU to scoop up.
The next Aggies head coach has no excuse not to compete on a national level. That was what led to Kevin Sumlin’s demise after six seasons. He met expectations that first season (2012) but backslid from there.
The new guy must maintain that type of success. But he’ll have an uphill battle against Texas coach Tom Herman, who brought Houston’s program to great heights and knows the area quite well. In six seasons at Texas A&M, Sumlin’s classes ranked higher than the Longhorns’ in three of those years, as compiled by 247sports.
But the next coach also must develop those classes in the same way Gary Patterson has done at TCU. Despite trailing both Texas and Texas A&M in recruiting rankings over the past six seasons, Patterson has lifted the Horned Frogs above and beyond. Not once in the past six years has TCU ranked in the top 20 in recruiting, and in three of those years it didn’t crack the top 30, finishing as low as 43rd in 2014.
No, good recruiting isn’t the only factor when considering a coach’s quality. But it sure helps to have the best athletes — just ask Nick Saban.
In the past five years, the Aggies have finished fourth, sixth, tied for fifth, fourth and tied for fourth in the SEC West.
Whether the Aggies can lure Jimbo Fisher away from another fertile recruiting ground in Florida remains to be seen. But the next man up must be well-versed in the recruiting battles of the Lone Star State. And he’ll need to hit the ground running because early signing is Dec. 20-22.
Whether the new early signing period adds to the hectic pace of recruiting remains to be seen, but the Aggies can ill afford to fall back, especially against Patterson and a go-getter like Herman.
No, the next Aggies hire must be the home run the 12th Man has been waiting years for. They can’t fall back and settle for an interim or take a chance on an up-and-comer. This has to be the hire that places Texas A&M where it belongs, alongside the top programs in the SEC.
The facilities have been upgraded to that status. Now is the time to complete the picture with a proven head coach who knows how to bring championships for the long term to College Station.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
