Texas A&M Football

Burns: Texas A&M could be a contender in year one with the right hire

November 15, 2023
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Texas A&M made the decision to fire Jimbo Fisher in his sixth year and now begins the coaching search for his predecessor. The SEC Network's Peter Burns joined Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Radio to discuss the Aggies' potential with the right coach at the helm.


Key notes from Peter Burns interview

  • Have you guys hired a head coach yet?
     
  • If they get this hire right, you are a College Football Playoff contender on day one, especially in a 12-team playoff. It comes at an interesting time. College football will be completely reimagined this next year. They have a clean slate. There is an opportunity for Ross Bjork and his Board of Regents to make a splash hire.
     
  • I find some of the names funny. I don’t think Lane Kiffin is going. I don't think Dabo Swinney or Deion Sanders is going. These names get a lot of buzz, but I don't think see any of those three calling plays next year calling plays in College Station.
     
  • The two names that make the most sense on paper are 1. Mike Elko because he has been there before and the success he has had at Duke. 2. I love Jeff Traylor at UTSA. Some will say they are unfamiliar. Everything you want out of him is what you are looking for. A guy who had success and recruits extremely well. That's the no-brainer in my mind.
     
  • I don't think it's that much different from Scott Frost not working at Nebraska. On paper, it made perfect sense. You had a coach that had a national championship pedigree and was offensive-minded. You think, in general, it will work. What won football in the early 2010s is not what wins football now.
     
  • The fit for Jimbo Fisher at A&M felt close but never 100 percent in. It felt like Jimbo did as much as he could, but some people are natural fits. That's why I keep going back to the Jeff Traylor thing. Texas A&M is so uniquely Texas. You need someone that will tap into that. You can throw out a bunch of names that make sense, but Traylor is the guy I can picture at the Alamo back in the day. He loves the state through and through. That is a marketing tool that A&M has not really used a lot.
     
  • I think we all understood the conversation had prior to the Mississippi State game. If he won against ACU and LSU, which is not out of the realm of possibility, do you find yourself in the same situation Les Miles was in a couple of years ago? They were already firing him, and then we won, and they fired him the next year. The timing makes sense. Jimbo has $75 million in the bank account and went out with a monster win.
Discussion from...

Burns: Texas A&M could be a contender in year one with the right hire

18,690 Views | 6 Replies | Last: 11 mo ago by Iraq2xVeteran
Fatboy Thaddeus
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12:12p, 11/15/23
Anything a corndog persona says needs to be treated as potential Woodward-planted rat poison. A&M doesn't need to hang its marketing appeal on being quintessentially Texan, and I couldn't think of a dumber reason for hiring Traylor.

Come to think of it, Burns's thoughts here are also potential throwaway pablum that he came up with while waiting for his McGriddles this morning.
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Aggie87
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12:57p, 11/15/23
AG
That wasn't a monster win. If it was, our standards have fallen big time.

That's what you should be doing to teams like Miss State year in and year out, as the norm.
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MaroonStain
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8:38p, 11/15/23
AG
Weak take by some random ESPN stooge.
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AggieDadxTwo
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8:40p, 11/15/23
I disagree; the timing sucks. They just won a game scoring 51 points with the 3rd string QB in is first start and became bowl eligible. We're paying Fisher whether he coaches or not; so why not let him coach the last 2 games and the bowl game? We could finish 9-4 with two losses being to Top 10 teams. Not exactly a tragedy. Doing that also gets through the national signing day and keeps recruiting on track. And provides a much more orderly departure between seasons.

Also, consider this. A&M scored 30+ points against both Miami and Tennessee and lost both games. Had the defense been more consistent and played up to par, A&M would have won hose games and be 8-2 at the moment with only two losses to Top 10 teams. They would be sitting in the Top 10 themselves as an 8-2 SEC program with one close loss to Alabama (no shame there) and a loss to Ole Miss that is having a strong year and been ranked in the Top 10 themselves. And that is with playing backup QBs almost all year. No one would be calling for Jimbo's head...

Also, I have seen some asinine names thrown out for the coaching vacancy. Dabo, Lane, and Deon?? Really? You've got to be kidding. Here's my short list of candidates:


1) Kyle Whittingham - Utah has been in the Top 10 and won the Pac 12 numerous times in the last few years, and that is with the limited recruiting and other support compared to A&M. They have been very tough for the last 5-7 years. The coach is a winner; period.

2) Mike Elko - Did a great job with the D at A&M and has worked borderline miracles at football lightweight Duke in his first couple of seasons. And I believe he has two very highly rated recruits committed to Duke that might just follow their coach to A&M as a bonus.

3) Gus Malzahn - this is a bit of a wild card pick. But he has SEC experience; was with Auburn when they won a Natty, and has done a strong job at UCF (did you see them blow Oklahoma State away by 40+ last weekend?).
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MaroonStain
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8:45p, 11/15/23
AG
1 is 63 years old, 2 is a possibility but likely deep committed to current gig and 3 is going to Arkansas.
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Iraq2xVeteran
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In reply to AggieDadxTwo • 9:57p, 11/15/23
AG
AggieDadxTwo said:
I disagree; the timing sucks. They just won a game scoring 51 points with the 3rd string QB in is first start and became bowl eligible. We're paying Fisher whether he coaches or not; so why not let him coach the last 2 games and the bowl game? We could finish 9-4 with two losses being to Top 10 teams. Not exactly a tragedy. Doing that also gets through the national signing day and keeps recruiting on track. And provides a much more orderly departure between seasons.

Also, consider this. A&M scored 30+ points against both Miami and Tennessee and lost both games. Had the defense been more consistent and played up to par, A&M would have won hose games and be 8-2 at the moment with only two losses to Top 10 teams. They would be sitting in the Top 10 themselves as an 8-2 SEC program with one close loss to Alabama (no shame there) and a loss to Ole Miss that is having a strong year and been ranked in the Top 10 themselves. And that is with playing backup QBs almost all year. No one would be calling for Jimbo's head...

Also, I have seen some asinine names thrown out for the coaching vacancy. Dabo, Lane, and Deon?? Really? You've got to be kidding. Here's my short list of candidates:


1) Kyle Whittingham - Utah has been in the Top 10 and won the Pac 12 numerous times in the last few years, and that is with the limited recruiting and other support compared to A&M. They have been very tough for the last 5-7 years. The coach is a winner; period.

2) Mike Elko - Did a great job with the D at A&M and has worked borderline miracles at football lightweight Duke in his first couple of seasons. And I believe he has two very highly rated recruits committed to Duke that might just follow their coach to A&M as a bonus.

3) Gus Malzahn - this is a bit of a wild card pick. But he has SEC experience; was with Auburn when they won a Natty, and has done a strong job at UCF (did you see them blow Oklahoma State away by 40+ last weekend?).
We only scored 13 points against Tennessee. I think you meant Texas A&M scored 33+ points against both Miami and Ole Miss and lost both road games.
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