Texas A&M Football: Who Replaces Mark Snyder as Aggies' Defensive Coordinator?

It's not too surprising that the Texas A&M Aggies have axed defensive coordinator Mark Snyder after a subpar year that saw the Aggies give up over 27 points and nearly 450 yards per game. 

So, the question remains: Who will replace Snyder? 

For the interim, Mark Hagen, the linebackers coach, will take over. 

But everybody knows about a recent job opening in Gainesville, Florida, and everybody knows that the guy who will soon leave that spot was one heck of a defensive coordinator for years in the Lone Star State. 

So, who are the most likely candidates to replace Snyder?

Will Muschamp

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It's no secret that Will Muschamp's specialty is defense. 

It certainly isn't offense, and that's what cost him his job at the University of Florida. 

The Aggies can afford a big name like Muschamp, and he may very well be the answer College Station needs. 

There's just one problem: Muschamp famously blasted the town for the atmosphere, per USA Today. 

The comments weren't controversial enough to dominate national headlines, but they may still stick in the side of some of the most diehard members of the 12th Man. 

Can the Aggies look past old grudges and make this match made in heaven a reality? Or are we just hapless dreamers?

Justin Wilcox

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Want to pull the ultimate SEC power move? Steal a coach away from the grips of the University of Southern California. 

Justin Wilcox is currently the defensive coordinator at USC, where the Trojans give up just 24 points per game—three points fewer than Texas Tech University despite being in the Pac-12, which is a league far more widely known for its offensive firepower. 

Wilcox has an impressive resume, with stints at Boise State University, the University of Tennessee and the University of Washington. But if he truly wants to break free from Steve Sarkisian's wings—which might be melting at USC faster than some realize—Texas A&M could be a good fit.

D.J. Durkin

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OK, so you want a guy with Muschamp's talents but not the circus show and hoopla that's sure to accompany him? 

How about D.J. Durkin, Muschamp's defensive coordinator at Florida? 

Durkin will coach Florida in the bowl game, so his talents will be on full display for the country to see. Plus, if he can come up with a scheme to stop Jameis Winston and Co. from Florida State University, you have to think his stock price would soar. 

Durkin is still relatively new to the coaching ranks, becoming a coordinator at Florida in 2013. That might mean Texas A&M can get him at a steal of a price, considering Florida's baggage and relative youth. 

He knows SEC offensive schemes, and he'd have the talent base to recruit from. There's a good chance he can do with Texas A&M's athletes what he did with those at Florida.

Brent Venables

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One of the many successful products of the Bill Snyder coaching tree, Brent Venables has been the defensive coordinator at Clemson University since 2012. 

But South Carolina and the south aren't Venable's natural territory. 

Texas and the Midwest are. 

A native of Salina, Kansas, you have to think Venables would eat up the chance to get back into recruiting territory that he poached while at Kansas State University. 

Venables may come at a high price, though. The Tigers have the No 1. total defense in the country, giving up just 252 yards per game. So, Texas A&M may have to take Venables over Clemson's dead body.

Brent Guy

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Perhaps the least likely on this list—but still a viable option—is Brent Guy, the former head coach at Utah State University who is now the defensive coordinator at the University of Tulsa, where he's been since 2011. 

This year, Tulsa is 25th in the nation in total defense, and clearly Guy has shown before to be worthy of a big-time job. 

While head coaching may not be up his alley, the Texas native has proved to be a quality coordinator and would be a natural fit at Texas A&M.