Report: Kevin Sumlin to Be Fired by Texas A&M After Finale vs. LSU
The Texas A&M Aggies will fire head football coach Kevin Sumlin within a few days of the team's regular-season finale against the LSU Tigers on Saturday, the Houston Chronicle's Brent Zwerneman reported Tuesday.
Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman later noted, "The Texas A&M staff first learned of a report that head coach Kevin Sumlin will be fired—regardless of the outcome—following Saturday’s game at LSU after they came off the practice field Tuesday night."
USA Today's Dan Wolken first reported Nov. 14 the Aggies were planning to move on from Sumlin and that the school has Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher atop its wish list.
Sumlin told reporters Wednesday that he hasn't talked to Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward since Nov. 18.
Earlier in the day, Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams appeared to criticize the school in a Twitter post for its handling of Sumlin, calling the situation "flat-out ridiculous."
The die on Sumlin's future at A&M may have cast when the Aggies gave up 35 unanswered points, including 28 in the final quarter, in a season-opening 45-44 defeat to the UCLA Bruins. Texas A&M won its three other nonconference games but is just 4-3 in the SEC.
Sumlin's tenure began brightly when Texas A&M went 11-2 and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl in 2012.
In that respect, Sumlin was a victim of his own success. Texas A&M poured millions into the football program, including a massive renovation and expansion of Kyle Field, in an effort to join the FBS elite. Instead, the Aggies won 33 games between 2013 and 2016 and never finished a season higher than 18th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The fact A&M would set its sights on Fisher is evidence of the school's ambitions. NOLA.com's James Smith reported last November that Fisher turned down an offer from LSU that was worth $6.8 million a year.
Fisher may be more willing to leave Florida State after the Seminoles lost six of their first 10 games this year. Wolken argued returning to FSU in 2018 wouldn't be a straightforward proposition for Fisher, either:
Money won't be an issue for Texas A&M. The Aggies' total revenue eclipsed $194 million in the most recent year on record, which was the highest in the NCAA.
Especially if Fisher winds up in College Station, Texas A&M's coaching search could significantly alter the FBS coaching landscape in 2018.
