In the past 10 years, 11 programs have played for in a national championship game. Eleven programs in ten seasons.
Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Southern Cal, and Texas.
All of them at the time had 5-stars and other highly regarded recruits and players all over their campus, particularly the repeats such Alabama and Ohio State. If we are going to compete with them, at least with any regularity whatsoever, we have to have that kind of talent on campus and performing on the field.
In the past week, we have lost Kyle Allen, Kyler Murray, suspended Speedy Noil, on down to a highly regarded recruit decommiting. It just seals up the fact that, four years in, we're having the worst year we've had under Kevin Sumlin.
This is not a call for Kevin Sumlin's firing, but I've seen a lot of rhetoric about "screw kids that don't want to be here", and even some going as far to say "we should recruit based on love for A&M, not recruiting stars", etc.
And while that sounds great, and yes, we need kids to come here and be committed to the program, we are NOT a place that can recruit itself. We have to sell kids on A&M, we have to be a place that big time talent wants to come to, stay at, and a place that talent will perform at.
Top talent can play anywhere they want. They can go to any of those aforementioned 11 programs. They don't have to come here. They don't owe A&M anything and they will and should seek out what is best for them, with the caveat being if they are going to play at a school, they need to give it their 100% best effort while they are there...
...but stubborness on A&M's part, when we're finishing in the bottom half of our division and losing players, is going to absolutely bury this program.
Let's stop making this a referendum on the character of players that are no longer apart of this program, and lets try to figure out how Texas A&M has gotten itself in this position and try to improve.
Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Southern Cal, and Texas.
All of them at the time had 5-stars and other highly regarded recruits and players all over their campus, particularly the repeats such Alabama and Ohio State. If we are going to compete with them, at least with any regularity whatsoever, we have to have that kind of talent on campus and performing on the field.
In the past week, we have lost Kyle Allen, Kyler Murray, suspended Speedy Noil, on down to a highly regarded recruit decommiting. It just seals up the fact that, four years in, we're having the worst year we've had under Kevin Sumlin.
This is not a call for Kevin Sumlin's firing, but I've seen a lot of rhetoric about "screw kids that don't want to be here", and even some going as far to say "we should recruit based on love for A&M, not recruiting stars", etc.
And while that sounds great, and yes, we need kids to come here and be committed to the program, we are NOT a place that can recruit itself. We have to sell kids on A&M, we have to be a place that big time talent wants to come to, stay at, and a place that talent will perform at.
Top talent can play anywhere they want. They can go to any of those aforementioned 11 programs. They don't have to come here. They don't owe A&M anything and they will and should seek out what is best for them, with the caveat being if they are going to play at a school, they need to give it their 100% best effort while they are there...
...but stubborness on A&M's part, when we're finishing in the bottom half of our division and losing players, is going to absolutely bury this program.
Let's stop making this a referendum on the character of players that are no longer apart of this program, and lets try to figure out how Texas A&M has gotten itself in this position and try to improve.