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Two would-be SEC powerhouses are not having the best of years. Texas A&M and South Carolina, East-West rivals set to play each other every fall as permanent opponents, have both seen their recruiting fortunes take a turn for the worse over the last several weeks.
The problems seem to stem for opposite reasons; A&M from a lack of a defensive coordinator, South Carolina because of a subpar season and some troubling sentiments from the head coach.
Texas A&M had a disappointing rebuilding year, falling to 7-5 after rising to No. 6 in the national polls early in the season. Their stock went soaring after a 52-28 opening night win over the Gamecocks, but dropped like a stone as the season wore on. While the latter part of the season was not pretty for the Aggies, things still looked rosy for the future.
First, the Aggies have a new complex to sell. Renovations on Kyle Field are set to be complete for the 2015 season, giving Texas A&M a state-of-the-art home with the largest seating capacity in the SEC. The renovations also call for a new strength and conditioning “laboratory” near the stadium, a major piece in the SEC’s ever-advancing arms race.
Texas A&M also has a young team that should be ready to compete at a higher level in 2015 than it was in 2014. The Aggies have one of the most revered receiving corps in the SEC, two of the top quarterbacks from the last two recruiting classes and an innovative head coach in Kevin Sumlin.
The problems A&M is having in recruiting seem to stem from a string of recent coaching departures. The Aggies are still regarded as a top-10 class by most recruiting outlets, with two five-star commits and a slew of four-star prospects on both sides of the ball. But Texas A&M had a rough weekend, losing out on the top linebacker in the state, Malik Jefferson, to rival Texas, then losing a commitment from Daylon Mack, the top-rated recruit in the Aggies’ 2015 class.
Jefferson mentioned to reporters that the lack of defensive coordinator at Texas A&M played a role in his unwillingness to commit. The Aggies fired Mark Snyder in November and, despite being linked to several coaches, Sumlin has not tabbed a replacement yet. On top of that, Texas A&M lost its recruiting coordinator, David Beaty, who accepted the head coaching job at Kansas. Offensive line coach B.J. Anderson, regarded as one of the top recruiters in the country, left the program last week as well.
With South Carolina, the issues seem more deeply rooted. Steve Spurrier’s future with the Gamecocks has more question marks than ever. The Head Ball Coach, who will be 70 years old when the 2015 season kicks off, recently said that he had two or three years left in what may have been a ploy to lure Will Muschamp to Columbia, S.C. as the defensive coordinator/head coach in waiting.
That comment is just another piece of ammunition recruiting rivals can use in negative pitches to recruits. It seems to be working, as six players have dropped their commitments to South Carolina over the last few weeks, several of whom were on track to be January enrollees at Carolina. The biggest loss is four-star defensive back Mark Fields, who many expected would be able to step on the field and contribute immediately.
Spurrier’s presence on the sidelines is what turned the Gamecocks from an SEC also-ran to a team to be reckoned with. The team has consistently had top-20 recruiting classes over the last half-decade, and were on track for a top-10 class until the recent wave of decommits.
The “2-to-3 years” comment was another example of Spurrier saying whatever he felt like, although this time it seems it may have had unintended consequences; four of the decommitments came after Spurrier’s remarks. Spurrier quickly backtracked from the comments, telling reporters he was back to a 4-5 year timeframe, but the damage has been done.
Texas A&M remains on the brink of becoming a year-in, year-out SEC contender. Once the Aggies fill the defensive coordinator vacancy, they’ll be right back to being one of the hottest programs in the country. Their offensive style makes them an attractive place for kids to go play, and the school is more than willing to invest money into the program.
South Carolina, meanwhile, teeters on the brink. After winning 33 games from 2011-13, the program slid back to mediocrity in 2014. While there’s plenty of new blood coming in 2015, it might not be enough to counterbalance all the losses this recruiting class has suffered.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
