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Photo by Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs

SEC Day marks milestone point in A&M's reinvention

July 1, 2012
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This is (finally) SEC country.

On Saturday, Texas A&M introduced Eric Hyman as the man who will lead Aggie Athletics into the next chapter of its storied history. That next chapter actually begins today, as A&M and Missouri have officially become the 13th and 14th members of the powerful Southeastern Conference.

Tomorrow, the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium will be the site of an “after-party” of sorts when the TAMU brass raises the SEC flags and celebrates an event that has essentially been close to two years in the making. Anyone sporting maroon and white knows exactly how arduous a process exiting the Big 12 turned out to be. The drama — played out on the state and national stages — proved to be spectacular theater everywhere from TexAgs to SportsCenter, dominating the sports talk conversation from July through October of last year.

TexAgs A&M faced levels of resistance ranging from political to perceptual and much in between in its journey to the SEC, but it now emerges victorious. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"A&M faced levels of resistance ranging from political to perceptual and much in between in its journey to the SEC, but it now emerges victorious.","MediaItemID":9615}
After clearing what seemed like a new roadblock every other day, President R. Bowen Loftin, Jim Wilson and the Board of Regents, Jason Cook and the rest of the TAMU decision-makers finally reached the finish line on September 25. Since then, along with the Aggie brass, we’ve marked off one checkpoint after another on the long and winding road to the Southeastern Conference. On June 9, the Aggie track & field team wrapped up the national championship meet, marking the last time that Texas A&M would compete as a Big 12 member. From there, “The Countdown” officially began.

With A&M having finally reached a destination that thousands of Aggies have felt was home for many, many years, the inclination might be to look back — back on the team’s 16-year Big 12 run, one that produced one unforgettable conference championship in football and three South Division titles, eight national championships and 61 Big 12 team titles. Those are memories to reflect upon at a later date. For today and into the foreseeable future, it’s time to look ahead.

Live in the moment, Ags, because this is a truly special time in the history of Texas A&M athletics. Things are changing at such a rapid rate — both at the athletics and university levels — that it’s difficult for even the most marooned-out fans to keep pace. The Ags are heading into a new conference with a new head coach and a new athletic director. In what promises to be one of the most talked-about storylines of the upcoming Aggie sports season, Kyle Field will soon begin getting what could best be described as an extreme makeover.

In addition to all of the sports-centric excitement, the University has made not one, not two, but three groundbreaking announcements in the past two weeks. Last week, TAMU purchased Texas Wesleyan Law School for $25 million. Prior to that announcement, A&M made national news when the public institution was awarded a $285 million contract to develop one of three U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, placing Aggieland on the nation’s front line when it comes to bio-security preparedness.

For a school known the world over for its staunch commitment to tradition, the last year or so has marked the Aggies’ entry into a brave new world of sorts. Change is suddenly the order of the day. Not change for the sake of change, mind you, but change for the greater good. Change that may finally allow Texas A&M Football to reach its full potential and emerge as a true national power. Jason Cook, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, and others involved in the decision-making process are fully-convinced that such an emergence in the mighty Southeastern Conference would thrust the A&M brand into the national spotlight to stay.

TexAgs The Aggies have no need to look back, having fought for a decision that will help shape the University's future, and they will reap the rewards. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The Aggies have no need to look back, having fought for a decision that will help shape the University\u0027s future, and they will reap the rewards.","MediaItemID":10979}
Putting it simply, the thought process goes something like this: The Aggies now have a chance to redefine themselves at every level and will do so on the grandest of stages. Considering resources, alumni and fan support, the local recruiting base and across-the-board excellence in all sports (the Ags have finished in the Director’s Cup top-10 for three consecutive years), the opportunity is there for Texas A&M to become the SEC West’s version of the Florida Gators. That’s the vision … and why shouldn’t it be?

All of the changes taking place in Aggieland have already had a noticeable impact on the all-important dynamic known as perception. A year ago, A&M’s move to the SEC was portrayed by some both regionally and nationally as an example of what was wrong with college football. The move was also painted in some corners as a knee-jerk reaction to the Longhorn Network rather than what it actually was — a “100-year decision” ripe with limitless potential.

Flash forward to today and the Ags’ move to the Southeastern Conference is lauded by the overwhelming majority of media types as a likely game-changer for the Texas A&M program, while the Big 12 continues to struggle to carve out important little things like an identity, conference cohesion, commitment and a viable long-term future.

When it comes to a college football program, there is perhaps no better gauge for public perception than recruiting. Under first-year head man Kevin Sumlin, the Ags are grabbing national headlines for their efforts on the trail. With 22 (soon to be 23) high-profile commitments already in the fold, A&M’s 2013 class ranks in the top-five nationally. Highlighted by more than a dozen ‘four-star’ caliber talents, the Aggie haul is firmly entrenched in the high-rent district alongside the likes of Michigan, USC, fellow SEC mates Alabama, LSU and Georgia and, yes, Texas.

The move to the SEC has certainly been the catalyst for the Ags’ unprecedented recruiting run but none of this happens without a dynamic and supremely-confident head coach leading the way. Sumlin’s combination of style, swagger and substance is infectious and has captured the attention of not only blue-chip football prospects around the Lone Star State and SEC region but also key decision-makers and the Aggie alumni network and fan base.

TexAgs Newly appointed athletic director Eric Hyman is ready to lead A&M into a conference that he is very familiar with.
Speaking of the Aggie fan base, the 12th Man as a whole has walked a little taller of late and an air of true confidence — the kind that is sapped from a decade-long stretch of on-field mediocrity — has returned to those proudly wearing the A&M and, now, SEC logos.

Another noteworthy change in perception can be found when monitoring the reaction of the rivals that the Aggies have now left behind.  From Austin to Lubbock to Waco to Fort Worth, coaches, athletic directors and fans alike are stepping up both their criticism when it comes to A&M leaving the Big 12 Conference and also their skepticism regarding the Ags’ chances of achieving long-term success. 

The louder the cries and the more elaborate the anti-A&M sales pitches to Texas high school recruits become the more obvious it is that the Aggies are doing something right – doing something that clearly threatens the status quo of the college football landscape in the Lone Star State. 

A powerful, Texas A&M bolstered by the SEC brand is something that none of the Big 12’s Texas teams want to see.  From Mack to Mulkey, Briles to Barnes and from Tubs to Patterson, they’re doing everything they can through media channels and on the recruiting trail to keep the Aggies from gaining unstoppable momentum.

In its current state, Texas A&M now has a head coach in place who embraces the idea of shaking things up — from facilities to uniforms to style of play — so long as it is in the name of progress towards winning football games and SEC titles. Heading up the athletic department is the man who turned TCU into a premier program and then led South Carolina to unprecedented success; one of the most well-respected men in the profession. Oh, by the way, Eric Hyman knows the lay of the land, having spent the last seven years in the Ags’ new conference.

At the top, A&M has a set of leaders in place who embrace change rather than fear it. The net sum is what you’re all enjoying today: A celebration of the present and a future that is as bright as it’s ever been in little old College Station, Texas ... now located deep in the heart of SEC country.

In his introductory press conference on Saturday, Hyman was describing the decided step up in competition that will come with being an SEC member when he said, “We’ve got to buckle up.”

The new boss could just as easily have been handing out advice to elated A&M fans everywhere, as the Aggies are set to embark on what promises to be a wild, fascinating ride. No one is saying it’s going to be easy (no one ever did, in fact) but there’s no looking back now. Texas A&M has broken free of the shackles and is an official member of the League of Champions.
Discussion from...

SEC Day marks milestone point in A&M's reinvention

5,379 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 11 yr ago by 1CollegeFootballFan
Liucci
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Staff
AG
SEC Day marks milestone point in A&M's reinvention
AggieDusty
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AG
I'm pumped! Now if football season would hurry up and get here.
mikeslough11
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If you would like to become a sponsor, please email us at sponsors@texags.com. - Staff]

[This message has been edited by TexAgs staff (edited 7/5/2012 10:33a).]
1CollegeFootballFan
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I have been excited for you guys since the rumors began a couple of years ago. This brave new world has the potential to become the world Aggies have been waiting on. Optimism is high.

[This message has been edited by 1CollegeFootballFan (edited 7/4/2012 7:08a).]
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