What Kevin Sumlin said on eve of Liberty Bowl
Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin held a press conference Sunday afternoon on the eve of the Aggies showdown with West Virginia in this year’s Liberty Bowl.
Among the topics Sumlin discussed were his team’s preparation for the bowl game, the three vacancies on his coaching staff and the Aggies familiarity with the Mountaineers.
Texas A&M must replace its defensive coordinator, its wide receivers coach and its offensive line coach this offseason. According to reports earlier this week, it will likely hire Utah’s Dave Christensen as its next offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
The Aggies also left the Big 12 for the SEC the same year West Virginia joined the Big 12 as its newest member, creating another interesting storyline entering this year’s Liberty Bowl.
Here’s a rundown of what Sumlin had to say Sunday:
On what Sumlin expects from his team against West Virginia…
Sumlin: what we're looking for tomorrow is consistency… It's not about the quarterback, it's about the guys that play with him.
— Kate Hairopoulos (@khairopoulos) December 28, 2014
Sumlin: interim DC Mark Hagen has got our guys prepared, we've got some juice.
— Kate Hairopoulos (@khairopoulos) December 28, 2014
Sumlin: I'm interested in how our guys play and how we approach the game and handle the [challenge]. Opportunity for this team to grow up.
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) December 28, 2014
Sumlin made it clear that WVU receiver Kevin White is going to get A LOT of attention. Compared him to Josh Reynolds as a natural TD scorer.
— Gabe Bock (@GabeBock) December 28, 2014
On filling coaching vacancies on the staff…
Sumlin says open coaching positions should be addressed in next week; will move quickly after Monday's game.
— Kate Hairopoulos (@khairopoulos) December 28, 2014
Kevin Sumlin said he anticipates making all three hires, including DC, in the next week. Said he wishes he could elaborate but can't.
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) December 28, 2014
Sumlin said look for something to happen within the week on all three assistant coaching jobs he has open
— Aggie Sports (@Aggie_Sports) December 28, 2014
On familiarity with current Big 12 member WVU…
Kevin Sumlin on familiarity of programs: Maybe we should keep the same signals and not believe each other (smiling).
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) December 28, 2014
As Sumlin pointed out, interesting angle on this game: The seniors on both teams didn't sign up to play in SEC or Big 12.
— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) December 28, 2014
