Dec. 10: Kyle Allen transfers
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen was designated as the starter at the beginning of the season and was a catalyst in the Aggies’ surge to a 5-0 mark and the No. 9 ranking. Following three pick-sixes and a 12-of-34 night against Alabama and Ole Miss respectively, Allen relinquished the starting position to freshman Kyler Murray. Coach Sumlin decided to give Allen the final two starts of the season against Vanderbilt and LSU after some inconsistent play by the freshman, throwing two interceptions against FCS foe Western Carolina. He completed his A&M career with a 9-5 record.
Dec. 17: Kyler Murray Transfers
The speedy freshman had his moments at quarterback for the Aggies, taking over for incumbent Kyle Allen on Halloween against South Carolina. Murray showed flashes of his talent that garnered him Gatorade National Player of the Year honors to the tune of 223 yards passing and 156 yards rushing in a 35-28 win over the Gamecocks. A week after his transfer announcement, Murray chose to enroll at Oklahoma for the spring semester.
Jan. 3: Aggies and Spavital part ways
After three seasons as the primary playcaller for the offense, Texas A&M and Jake Spavital mutually parted ways. Spavital took over playcalling duties from Kliff Kingsbury when Kingsbury left to take the head coaching job at Texas Tech. There were grumblings about Spavital’s job security throughout the season as the Aggie offense struggled to score points this season as the Aggies finished the year 50th in the FBS in total offense.
Jan. 4: Trevor Knight joins the Aggies
After the departure of Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, Music City Bowl starter Jake Hubenak was introduced to a new addition to the quarterback room with the addition of Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight. The former Oklahoma starting quarterback introduced himself to the college football world with a bang, defeating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in 2014. Knight completed a then Sugar Bowl record 32 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns. He struggled with inconsistency and injuries the following season and subsequently lost his starting job to Baker Mayfield.
Jan. 5: Eric Hyman steps down
A day after publicly endorsing Kevin Sumlin as the head football coach for the foreseeable future amid questions about Sumlin’s job security, Athletic Director Eric Hyman stepped down from the position. Hyman took over the AD position when the Aggies entered the SEC and oversaw a 28-11 record for football and a 57-43 record for basketball during his tenure.
Jan. 7: Noel Mazzone is hired
The offensive coordinator spot is filled by former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. Mazzone has called plays for the Bruins for the last four years and has had a large part of the turnaround that UCLA football has experienced during the tenure of head coach Jim Mora. Under Mazzone, UCLA’s offense ranked 45th, 36th, 20th and 31st in the nation in scoring offense.
Jan. 8: Scott Woodward is introduced
Scott Woodward was named the new Athletic Director. President Michael Young and Woodward have a connection dating back to their the University of Washington days, where Woodward was their AD since 2008 and Young was also president.