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Texas A&M Football
“Becoming an elite program, it goes back to what the expectations are. I wrote an article, I believe everybody read, about return on investment. When you put that kind of investment in, it's not different from any big business ... The football coach and the football program is the face of the university and that’s whether it is Southern California, whether it’s Alabama, whether it’s Michigan. Usually the head coach is the leading face of the university. If you ask who the president of Southern Cal is, you couldn’t tell me, but you could tell me who the coach was. And a lot of times, you know, who’s the AD at Michigan? You can’t tell me, but you can tell me who the head coach is. So, when you are looking at all those things and the expectations are there, you’re given an opportunity and the expectations are that you perform on the field and put A&M in that position. So, you have to understand the expectations and the pressures that come with being a head coach.”
“I’m not there, Gabe, so I can’t tell you if every oar in the water is going in the same direction. But, it’s gotta be from the top – the administration all the way down to the janitor. Coach Bryant made a comment years ago, when I was walking up the steps and overheard him in his office – you know, it’s very easy to win and everybody and is asking him how to win. He said it’s very easy, from the president all the way down to the janitor, they’re winners. So, saying that, when everyone has to have their oar in water and has to be rowing in the same direction when you row that boat.”
“2016 is important for A&M. The sad thing for coaches, because of the expectations and what’s placed on them – if you don’t win, it’s the coach’s fault. Which, sometimes, that’s not the case. So, it’s important for A&M to win. It’s more important for A&M to win than it is Sumlin, because the face of the university is the football program. You can take Oklahoma right now, you can take Alabama, you can take Clemson, and you can take Michigan State, their face is pretty good at their university.”
“Unless you’re playing for a championship, the most important thing to consider are the players when talking about bowl destination. So, if you took a vote of the players – do you want to go to Houston or do you want to go to want to go to Nashville? Brock, where do you want to go? You want to go to Nashville. So, you’re not playing for a championship, this team isn’t going to put you in the top-10 or top-five, so what’s important is that you go where your players want to play. The team that goes someplace, where your players don’t want to go, and don’t have fun, the chances of you winning that game is drastically reduced. Because the players are not happy, they hate being there, they don’t want to be there. Again, very shortly, if you are not playing for a championship or not trying to get into the top-10 or the top-five, then it’s better to go to where the players want to go.”
“It has nothing to do with whether or not A&M was dodging Tech. And I am sure that Sumlin asked the players. The players don’t care who they play. I mean, this is not about winning a championship. This is about the players going someplace and having the fun that they deserve. Plus, if they’re happy, they’re going to play hard. If they’re not happy, they’re not going to play hard. That’s not rocket science.”
“Naturally, before I got to see McCaffrey play at Stanford the last game verse USC, there was no question on who I picked to win the Heisman. I thought, there was no question that Henry was going to win it, but I don’t know now. McCaffrey has gotten an awful lot of sentiment across the country and it’s going to be the closest between those two that it has been in a long time. I think they should flip a coin.”
Jackie Sherrill on program expectations, bowl selections
Key quotes from Jackie Sherrill interview
“(Regarding Sonny Cumbie turning down Texas) The people who are supporting the Texas program are not very happy, because they don’t understand what’s in the coaches' minds, you know. At times, when they’re comfortable or their kids are in a certain school, or their wives have a social life, that sometimes dictates where they’re going. Years ago, I called Coach Bryant and I had the chance to go someplace else and be the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. I asked him, if I want to be a head coach, where is the best chance for me to be the head coach and the quickest? If you look at the two programs (Texas and TCU), to be a head coach, you’re going to have to be at a place that is winning. If you're at a place that is building, or rebuilding or struggling, the chances of you becoming a head coach from that place are not very good.”“Becoming an elite program, it goes back to what the expectations are. I wrote an article, I believe everybody read, about return on investment. When you put that kind of investment in, it's not different from any big business ... The football coach and the football program is the face of the university and that’s whether it is Southern California, whether it’s Alabama, whether it’s Michigan. Usually the head coach is the leading face of the university. If you ask who the president of Southern Cal is, you couldn’t tell me, but you could tell me who the coach was. And a lot of times, you know, who’s the AD at Michigan? You can’t tell me, but you can tell me who the head coach is. So, when you are looking at all those things and the expectations are there, you’re given an opportunity and the expectations are that you perform on the field and put A&M in that position. So, you have to understand the expectations and the pressures that come with being a head coach.”
“I’m not there, Gabe, so I can’t tell you if every oar in the water is going in the same direction. But, it’s gotta be from the top – the administration all the way down to the janitor. Coach Bryant made a comment years ago, when I was walking up the steps and overheard him in his office – you know, it’s very easy to win and everybody and is asking him how to win. He said it’s very easy, from the president all the way down to the janitor, they’re winners. So, saying that, when everyone has to have their oar in water and has to be rowing in the same direction when you row that boat.”
“2016 is important for A&M. The sad thing for coaches, because of the expectations and what’s placed on them – if you don’t win, it’s the coach’s fault. Which, sometimes, that’s not the case. So, it’s important for A&M to win. It’s more important for A&M to win than it is Sumlin, because the face of the university is the football program. You can take Oklahoma right now, you can take Alabama, you can take Clemson, and you can take Michigan State, their face is pretty good at their university.”
“Unless you’re playing for a championship, the most important thing to consider are the players when talking about bowl destination. So, if you took a vote of the players – do you want to go to Houston or do you want to go to want to go to Nashville? Brock, where do you want to go? You want to go to Nashville. So, you’re not playing for a championship, this team isn’t going to put you in the top-10 or top-five, so what’s important is that you go where your players want to play. The team that goes someplace, where your players don’t want to go, and don’t have fun, the chances of you winning that game is drastically reduced. Because the players are not happy, they hate being there, they don’t want to be there. Again, very shortly, if you are not playing for a championship or not trying to get into the top-10 or the top-five, then it’s better to go to where the players want to go.”
“It has nothing to do with whether or not A&M was dodging Tech. And I am sure that Sumlin asked the players. The players don’t care who they play. I mean, this is not about winning a championship. This is about the players going someplace and having the fun that they deserve. Plus, if they’re happy, they’re going to play hard. If they’re not happy, they’re not going to play hard. That’s not rocket science.”
“Naturally, before I got to see McCaffrey play at Stanford the last game verse USC, there was no question on who I picked to win the Heisman. I thought, there was no question that Henry was going to win it, but I don’t know now. McCaffrey has gotten an awful lot of sentiment across the country and it’s going to be the closest between those two that it has been in a long time. I think they should flip a coin.”
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