Tuesday was a stark reminder for Texas A&M fans, that they’re not an elite athletic program. This reality is really on them.
Now former Aggies baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle decided to leave College Station for Austin and the Texas Longhorns. The money is nice, but I think it’s about much more.
When it comes to money, resources and other support? Texas A&M is as good as anyone at offering those things to their coaches/programs. But, it’s a stark reminder, that this is about much more than money.
Let’s go back to December of 2017… The Aggies had just plucked Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State. At the time, this seemed like the coup of all coups. He had not long ago, told LSU that he’d rather stay in Tallahassee. The Aggies seemingly had the influence and money to get him to Bryan-College Station.
In the football sense, Jimbo was a disaster. During his time at A&M, Jimbo did not have one season, where the Aggies won at least 10 games. Needless to say, they never really even sniffed making it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
This should not happen at A&M. For all of the reasons that I laid out with money, support, etc… THAT SHOULD NOT AND CANNOT HAPPEN.
You sit right in the middle of one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country. Yes, A&M had their fair share of four and five star talents sign with the program. But, where were the results?
Moral of the story is, money and recruiting rankings do not win championships. They help, but they’re not the end all be all.
When I said what I said on X (as a noted LSU fan), I meant it. YOU SHOULD BE BETTER THAN LSU. They do not have anywhere close to the advantages that your programs have in Texas. Let’s take it a step further… You should be better than Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee or any other programs in your own league.
You’re focused on the wrong things in College Station. How many times are you going to continue to fall for the banana in the tailpipe?
The hot coaching candidate name is nice. But, start asking yourself another question… Are they a good fit my athletic program?
With regards to replacing Schlossnagle, I’m hearing the same things mentioned in the search. We need to spend the money. Your focus should be, we need to find the right guy.
I honestly think for football, you’ve finally gotten that coach. Mike Elko is a hell of a coach and seemingly understands what the job means.
One of the first things he did after accepting the job, was to visit the Texas High School Coaches Association postseason coaches breakfast. Some might think that is a small thing. It isn’t.
You have to give your hat tip to the high school coaches in this state. If you don’t, it’ll come back to hurt, when you’re trying to land the player you want in your program. From what I understand, Jimbo didn’t do enough to reinforce those relationships.
I understand that since the existence of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football preseason magazine, that every single college coach in the state has helped to contribute to their work. Jimbo, blew them off in 2023.
Again, some might look at this as a small thing. They all add up.
That’s the other thing… You are as an athletic department, are not doing the things that matter to win. It is about the cumulation of these “small things” that lead to winning. It’s about the people you have involved in your programs. It’s about how you handle your business.
My parting advice to Aggie fans, would be to demand more from your programs. The support from you is not the issue.
You shouldn’t be ashamed of your traditions (which you’re not). Embrace them. Texas A&M is a great school. I’ve seen the greatness all throughout my family.
I would just say that you need to ask yourself this question… How good do we want to be?
One thing I would say… Stop focusing on what other programs are doing. I saw the tweets after LSU got knocked out of the NCAA baseball regionals by North Carolina. In my lifetime, I’ve seen LSU win 10 major men’s sport national titles. 10! And you have the audacity to chirp a program that has won seven of those titles? Like Kendrick Lamar told Drake, you’re “Not Like Us.”