Dumb Aggies
Losing to Texas cost Mike Sherman his job: Texas A&M sabotages its own SECfuture with coach firing
Lose to Texas, lose your job.
It’s not enough for Texas A&M to leave the Big 12 and get its ass kicked in the SEC (yes, it’s a tougher league right now). No, the Aggies masochistic tendencies don’t end there — they want to start that date with destiny with a new coach too.
Mike Sherman is out, fired, called off the road on a day when he planned to make a recruiting trip to Houston. It’s possible that Sherman even first learned of his imminent firing on Twitter before his bosses told him — the ultimate bad decision by a Texas A&M athletic department that can’t seem to get enough of embarrassing itself.
With a new coach, and the sure loss of some recruits, Texas A&M is farther away from success than it has ever been.
Sherman ends his tenure with a 25-25 record. That’s not good enough to make it at a school with the highest of expectations. The 6-6 record this season is particularly galling because this team began the season ranked in the Top 10.
But Sherman's Aggies' lost four games after leading by double figures at halftime (OK, it was nine points to Texas). Coaches don’t often survive that either.
Sherman is by all accounts a great guy and a terrific football coach. Shame on the Aggies for the way they handled this firing.
Texas A&M now starts over — completely. When you fire a football coach, especially a coach the players like, you will also lose recruits. That’s something A&M doesn’t need as it enters the toughest conference in college football.
And the Big 12, with TCU and West Virginia as new members, only looks to get stronger and better. TCU at least is a clear upgrade from the Aggies. The Frogs are BCS bowl veterans—they played in the Rose Bowl last year — and they are perennially ranked. West Virginia taking Missouri’s place is a wash.
The Big 12 did what it had to do, find name brands to upgrade the conference. Texas A&M, in its heart of hearts, knows leaving is a mistake and if the Aggies were not so damn proud, they would come back. Missouri? Well . . . whatever.
Mike Sherman learned what so many other former Aggie coaches already knew: Beat Texas or beat it. Sherman couldn’t beat Texas, or Oklahoma for that matter . . . double trouble.
"I appreciate Coach Sherman's selfless service to Texas A&M as our head football coach and his tireless efforts in building leaders of character," A&M athletic director Bill Byrne said in a statement. "He is truly one of the great offensive minds in football, both collegiate and professional, and I know that he has much to offer the game of football in the future."
Here’s the tough lesson. The Aggies' expectations have grown far beyond their ability. Texas A&M needed the University of Texas to stay relevant in the national conversation. That Thanksgiving game was often the only national attention A&M got.
The Aggies will not be able to bring in an Urban Meyer, or even a Mike Leach. No, they'll have to go looking small. The University of Houston's Kevin Sumlin is apparently A&Ms first choice, but Sumlin has reportedly been offered (or will be offered, depending on who you want to believe), the Arizona State job.
Let's see, get your butt kicked by 'Bama and LSU, or play in the excellent Pac-12 against Utah and Arizona . . . hmmmm.
The SEC represents a great challenge, and maybe a recruiting opportunity at some point, but the Aggies were already setting themselves up for a rough few years playing LSU, Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn every year.
With a new coach, and the sure loss of some recruits, Texas A&M is farther away from success than it has ever been.
