Texas A&M Football: Who Will Replace Mike Sherman?

Texas A&M fired Mike Sherman tonight ending his four-year tenure in College Station. Sherman finished his career as the A&M head coach with a 25-25 record.

That is unacceptable by anyone's standards. He is a class act who left the program in much better shape than it was when he arrived. Sherman increased the talent level in the program across the board.

Sherman produced offenses that set numerous school records and made A&M a destination school for offensive skill position talent.

Now that Sherman has been let go, the question becomes who is going to replace him?

A&M will conduct a national search and it will be interesting to see what the criteria is for its next head coach. DO they want someone with SEC experience? Is head coaching experience a must? Do the Aggies want a young up-and-coming coach or is age not a factor?

Let's take a look at a few candidates who the Aggies are likely to consider for the head coaching spot.

1. Kevin Sumlin, HC, University of Houston

Kevin Sumlin has a 35-18 record in four years as the head coach at Houston.

His Cougars are currently 12-0 and ranked in the top 10 for the first time in over a decade.

Positives

Sumlin is only 47 years old so is relatively young as a head coach. He has a brilliant offensive mind. Sumlin took over as the offensive coordinator in the middle of the 2002 season and had immediate results.

In his second game as an OC, Aggie QB Dustin Long set a school and conference record with seven touchdown passes against Texas Tech. Has coached under R.C. Slocum, Bob Stoops and Dennis Erickson. Has recruited Texas for the past 10 years so he is a known quantity around the state.

Negatives

Viewed by some as a "system" coach who puts up big numbers with his spread offense and outscores teams. Sumlin has never had a good defense at Houston. Does not have experience in the SEC.

Bottom Line

Innovative offensive mind who has coached at A&M before and should be able to recruit well immediately.

2. Chris Peterson, HC, Boise State

Chris Peterson has been the head coach at Boise State for five years. He has accumulated a 61-5 record. He has helped mold Boise State into an elite program.

Positives

Easily one of the top five coaches in the country. Has established Boise as a consistent top 10 program. Peterson has led the Broncos to two undefeated seasons. Only coach to ever win the national coach of the year award twice. Has a creative offensive mind.

Negatives

Some people question the level of competition his teams have faced.

Bottom Line

An elite coach who should be at the very top of the Aggies' wish list.

3. Kirby Smart, Defensive Coordinator, Universty of Alabama

Kirby Smart has been the defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama for four years.

Positives

Was awarded the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the country in 2009. He produced numerous top 1o defenses at Alabama. Knows what it takes to win in the SEC. Is a 3-4 coach so the Aggies would not have to change their defensive scheme. He has coached in the NFL.

Negatives

Smart has no experience as a head coach. Some attribute Smart's success on defense to coaching under Saban. There is some concern that he would go to Georgia if that job ever came open.

Bottom Line

A great defensive coach who should be able to help the Aggies adjust to SEC play. If the Aggies are going to fire Sherman, then they really need to go after a proven head coach, and that is not Smart.

4. Chad Morris, Offensive Coordinator, Clemson University

Chad Morris is in his first year as the offensive coordinator at Clemson. He has helped lead the Tigers to a 9-3 record and a berth in the ACC Championship Game.

Positives

Morris has an innovative offensive mind. His offense has helped a sophomore quarterback lead Clemson to their best season in years. Was one of the best high school coaches in the state of Texas of his generation. Won three Texas high school state titles. Morris is well known in coaching circles in the state and should be able to recruit well. Helped Mike Sherman install the hurry up passing attack which set school records for offense in 2008.

Negatives

Chad Morris only has two years of college coaching experience. His young offense at Clemson only scored 26 points combined in their last two games.

Bottom Line

Brilliant young coaching mind who has won at a high level everywhere he has been. May be too inexperienced to be offered a head coaching job right now but will be a top college coach in the near future.  

5. Art Briles, HC, Baylor University

Art Briles has been the head coach at Baylor University for four years. Before that Briles coached at the University of Houston for four years during which he led them to three bowl games.

Positives

Briles is a known quantity in the state of Texas and has many contacts among high school coaches. He won four state titles as a high school coach. Did the impossible and has built Baylor up from the worst program in America to back to back bowl berths. Briles is a very effective recruiter. Briles has been very effective at developing offensive linemen.

Negatives

Was blown out by Mike Sherman's Aggies this year. Some wonder how well he will do without Robert Griffin at quarterback. Has never had a good defense during his college coaching career. Comes off as abrasive to some fans.

Bottom Line

Why hire a guy who could not beat the coach you just fired? Also most Aggie fans think the guy is a jerk.

6. Gary Patterson, HC, Texas Christian University

Gary Patterson has been the head coach at TCU for 10 years. During that time he helped transform a mediocre program into one of the top 15 programs in the country.

Positives

Patterson is a proven winner as a head coach. Helped build TCU up from a forgotten program in Fort Worth to a consistent top 20 program. Patterson led TCU to an undefeated season and Rose Bowl victory in 2011. He is adept at identifying and developing overlooked high school talent. Another coach with extensive experience recruiting in the state of Texas.

Negatives

His 4-2-5 scheme would likely be eaten alive by the SEC power running teams. A&M just fired a coach who beat SMU and Baylor, two teams who beat TCU this year.

Bottom Line

A truly great coach who may not be a good fit for A&M as they enter the SEC.