Kevin Sumlin Named Arizona HC After Rich Rodriguez's Firing

The University of Arizona announced Sunday that former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has been named its new head football coach.

Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman first reported the news. On Tuesday, Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star reported Sumlin's contract is for five years and will start at $2 million annually and increase from there.

Feldman also reported Sumlin will retain defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, with Noel Mazzone and Clarence McKinney expected to join the staff as offensive coordinator and running backs coach, respectively.

Sumlin will replace Rich Rodriguez, who was let go Jan. 2 after he became the focus of a sexual harassment claim. This comes after Texas A&M fired Sumlin following a 7-5 regular season in 2017.

"Our expectations at A&M are very high," Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said in a statement following the firing. "We believe that we should compete for SEC championships on an annual basis and, at times, national championships. I believe that we need a new coach to take us there."

The future looked bright for Sumlin after his initial season with the Aggies. He led them to an 11-2 mark that included a win over Alabama and a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma. He previously had posted a 35-17 record as the Houston head coach from 2008 through 2011, featuring a 12-1 mark in his final season.

However, Texas A&M didn't finish above .500 in the SEC in any of Sumlin's final five seasons with Texas A&M as his stock dropped. In all, he finished with a 51-26 record with the Aggies.

Despite some of the recent falloff, Arizona gets a coach in Sumlin who has extensive experience on the offensive side from when he served as an assistant for Washington State, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Purdue before he became a head coach.

If he can replicate the success he had at the end of his Houston tenure and beginning of his time at Texas A&M, Sumlin's new team figures to compete for conference championships in the coming seasons.

With the Wildcats, Sumlin will inherit a team that went 7-6 last season and has one of college football's ascendant talents in dual-threat quarterback Khalil Tate.

As a sophomore, Tate completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for 1,411 yards and 12 scores.