COLLEGE STATION, Texas—The Texas A&M Aggies have reportedly fired head coach Kevin Sumlin the day after a 45-21 loss at LSU.
Sumlin, who just completed six seasons with A&M, has 10 years of head coaching under his belt including four seasons with Houston before being hired by A&M in December 2011.
“Kevin’s tenure included some remarkable achievements” Texas A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward said in a statement shortly after the news broke. “He leaves our program as one of the winningest football coaches in our storied history.”
Sumlin had an overall record of 51-26 (.662 winning percentage) at A&M including victories in the Cotton Bowl, Chick-fil-a Bowl, and the Liberty Bowl. Only R.C Slocum, head coach from 1989-2002, has a higher winning percentage in A&M history (.721). After going 11-2 in his first season, the Aggies experienced a slow decline going 9-4 in 2012 and 8-5 in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In 2009, his final year as Oklahoma’s co-offensive coordinator, Sumlin’s offense was one of the best in the country, averaging 44 points per game.
In December 2009, it was announced that Sumlin was a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. Two seasons later, Sumlin coached Houston and former star Case Keenum to a 12–0 start before losing the Conference USA Championship Game to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
Texas A&M likely made to cut ties with the former University of Houston head coach due to a lack of success despite the presence of former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Kyle Allen, and former Allen High School (TX) star Kyler Murray.
Murray transferring to the Big 12 Conference and to year in and year out national title competitor Oklahoma and Allen 97 miles away to Houston before the 2016 season likely played a part in the final decision, too.
While reports have Sumlin allegedly eying Arizona’s head coaching job as his next stop, rumors place Florida State University’s Jimbo Fisher as College Station’s top candidate.
Special teams and tight ends coach Jeff Banks will serve as Head Coach in the interim and during the bowl game. With a 7-5 record, it is projected that A&M will play in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, though what team will be their opponent is still unclear.
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