Nearly 24 hours after Texas A&M lost its regular season finale to LSU, 45-21, in Baton Rouge, Texas A&M officially notified Kevin Sumlin he will not return as the Aggies’ head coach.
Assistant coach Jeff Banks will serve as the interim head coach for the Aggies as they prepare for their bowl game in December.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, Texas A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward said although Sumlin did a lot of good for the program, it was time for a change.
“Kevin’s tenure included some remarkable achievements and he leaves our program as one of the winningest football coaches in our school history,” Woodward said. “Kevin made us a better all-around football program and led our program with dignity and character. He’s a first-class person.”
As a member of one of the toughest conferences in college football, Woodward thanked Sumlin for the six years he gave to the program.
“Our expectations at A&M are very high,” Woodward said. “We believe that we should compete for SEC championships on an annual basis and, at times, national championships. I believe that we need a new coach to take us there. On behalf of Aggies everywhere, my thanks to Kevin and his family for his service to Texas A&M. I wish him the very best.”
The firing of Sumlin comes days after an unnamed source told the Houston Chronicle that regardless of the outcome of the LSU game, Sumlin would be fired.
However, at the post-game press conference in Tiger Stadium, Sumlin said he was unsure of what his future at Texas A&M would look like but had not spoken to administration.
“Don’t know anything, it’s just business as usual for me,” Sumlin said. “I don’t have anything scheduled, it’ll probably change here in the next couple of minutes or whatever.”
Woodward said he would not release any further statements regarding the issue until the Aggies have found their new head coach.
“Obviously, our search will be quiet so the next time you’ll hear from me is when I’m introducing the new head football coach,” Woodward said.
Sumlin came to Texas A&M in 2011 after spending four seasons at the University of Houston, where he had a 35-17 record with the Cougars.
At the helm of the Texas A&M football program, Sumlin was the first coach the Aggies had when making the move to the Southeastern Conference.
In his first season, Sumlin guided A&M to an 11-2 record with an upset victory over Alabama. That same season, he coached redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel to a Heisman winning campaign.
However, as the Aggies began to settle into the SEC, the harsh realities of competing in the toughest division in the toughest conference in college football became a hurdle Sumlin couldn’t get over. The last three seasons resulted in 8-5 finishes with losses against SEC West opponents.
Sumlin was one of two SEC coaches that won at least eight games in a five year span. Additionally, he’s the second coach in school history to accomplish that same record.
In the six-years that Sumlin was at the helm of the program, he led the Aggies to a bowl game each year. He was the first coach in program history to win three straight bowl games in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Aggies will learn Dec. 3 where they will go for their bowl game and who they will face.