Our first choice was Sumlin

[MontanaAubie 0]

I have no doubt Sumlin's agent was contacted by entities associated with the search committee to gauge interest as were agents representing probably two dozen coaches. I believe Sumlin's agent told us he was not interested in talking...and so there was never any real discussions or offers with him.

I was told by someone I feel to be knowledgeable that the committee decided that of the coaches that expressed genuine interest that they ranked Patterson first because of his experience and record, then Malzahn second, and Smart third. I was told the plane was in Fort Worth waiting on Patterson's decision and he turned us down and we called Gus and he took the job immediately and we picked him up on the way back.

[AU_Tiger_88 417]

I for one will admit that I was skeptical in hiring Gus at first but I am sure glad we did. He has brought a top notch staff, instilled discipline and will turn the program around. I am excited for the season to start and for the next few years. I think he was a better choice because he has been here before so he know the particular crap that goes on in that state and recruiting in the SEC. Not to say Sumlin doesn't know how to recruit but facing negative media in Alabama amongst other things can be hard to deal with at first.

[aucanucktiger 1,818]

Sumlin being considered a hot candidate for top head coaching jobs is beyond premature. Not only is his resume short but the Cam-Chizik factor may very well apply to Sumlin-Johnny Football.

[bootskii 264]

Im waiting to see how T A&M will do without their OC now. Will they be running the same kind of offense as they did last year?

[Mikey 16,781]

What does your endowment have anything to do with how much money you have to pay a football coach? If endowments mattered to athletics Vanderbilt would always have highly paid coaches and the best facilities. Before A&M arrived Vanderbilt was first in the SEC for decades and their endowment was 3 times that of the next closest (Florida). Keep in mind Florida is 3rd in the SEC in terms of endowment but they rank 56th nationally. In terms of endowments the SEC ranks very low and that doesn't hurt our programs. Stanford's endowment is roughly equal to the total of all SEC endowments combined. Northwestern's endowment is as big as A&M's. Rice, UVA, and Duke have huge endowments all at least 4 times bigger than Alabama's...do you think they would ever pay Saban money? If endowments mattered the SEC would struggle because our endowments on average are many times less than the Big 10, Big 12, ACC, Pac 10 etc...

Endowment is a good indication of a school's capability to raise money for a purpose. Harvard, Vandy, Stanford etc. have other interests. A&M is different, they are interested in football and they'll spend their money to have football success.

[ellitor 33,285]

Im waiting to see how T A&M will do without their OC now. Will they be running the same kind of offense as they did last year?

It's Sumlin's offense. Hw has been running it since he was HC at Houston. A bigger factor to watch is how their OL responds to losing their #! draft pick at OT and their Center, the anchor of an O Line.

[ellitor 33,285]

Sumlin being considered a hot candidate for top head coaching jobs is beyond premature. Not only is his resume short but the Cam-Chizik factor may very well apply to Sumlin-Johnny Football.

Big difference. Sumlin had success at his previous stop in turning around Houston while Chiz flopped at Iowa St.

[buzzurd24 11]

Hmmm, so B'ham media takes non-story and turns it into, "Gus Malzhan not first choice for Auburn". Typical summer crap...........

[Grinder 39]

I guess you could write the same thing about Saban being even farther down the list than Malzhan.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Well Sumlin truly wanted the Auburn job, then the heck didn't he take it when it was first offered? I'd say it's his loss that he told told the media he was staying at A&M and that he and Auburn had not even talked with one another. Johnny Football won't be with A&M much longer, so where will Sumlin be then?

[AU-24 3,124]

I guess you could write the same thing about Saban being even farther down the list than Malzhan.

The media can write anything they want to write, just like we can post anything we want to post (until it gets deleted etc...)

It comes down to us reading, comprehending, and then discerning what we read!! Many of you are falling for, or doing exactly what the bammerham news wants you to do. They want to upset us, they want us to overreact to their nonsense, and then they of course, they want to sell newspapers to the uneducated, redneck, turd fan base!!

Works every time!

As it has already been said: "Nothing to read here, let's move on"

[1auburn1 1,120]

Sumlin being considered a hot candidate for top head coaching jobs is beyond premature. Not only is his resume short but the Cam-Chizik factor may very well apply to Sumlin-Johnny Football.

My thoughts exactly. I think Sumlin will be good long term and seems to have the "it" thing going but we all know how inheriting a good team with a super-stud QB to run it can make...ahem....lots of coaches look like geniuses. I think we will be happy with what we got.

[AUwent 3,794]

The difference between Chiz and Sumlin is that Sumlin had prior success at Houston with Case Keenum. Granted, when Keenum had a season-ending injury in 2010 they went 5-7.

[Warbird82 160]

We interviewed patterson. Is he below sumlin?

We know that for a fact...or was it on the Internet?

[quietfan 233]

I have ZERO insider connections that would give me any special knowledge regarding our coaching search. But I do remember thinking when we were looking that pursuing Sumlin would be a complete waste of time. Regardless of the exact amounts in endowments or athletic donations at either school, aTm can certainly match us step for step in a bidding war if they want to. And I saw/still see no reason why Sumlin would leave a program currently near the top of the SEC, with a returning Heisman quarterback, the Texas recruiting base, and tremendous booster/alumni support, to go to a program in the condition we were in after the 2012 season, with fans divided over our AD's leadership, to recruit against Saban and the REC in this state. (Not to mention all the negative NCAA rumors our foes were tossing around...)

[AUEngineer2016 407]

I have ZERO insider connections that would give me any special knowledge regarding our coaching search. But I do remember thinking when we were looking that pursuing Sumlin would be a complete waste of time. Regardless of the exact amounts in endowments or athletic donations at either school, aTm can certainly match us step for step in a bidding war if they want to. And I saw/still see no reason why Sumlin would leave a program currently near the top of the SEC, with a returning Heisman quarterback, the Texas recruiting base, and tremendous booster/alumni support, to go to a program in the condition we were in after the 2012 season, with fans divided over our AD's leadership, to recruit against Saban and the REC in this state. (Not to mention all the negative NCAA rumors our foes were tossing around...)

^This^. Sumlin has created an atmosphere of excitement arount aTm's football team, something that my dad (an aTm alum) noted has been lacking for a long time now.

[ellitor 33,285]

We interviewed patterson. Is he below sumlin?

We know that for a fact...or was it on the Internet?

Yes he interviewed.

[juscAUse 1]

I doubt if Sumlin got more than some "unofficial person" asking if he'd be interested, if he even got that.

Think a second here: Why would anyone at AU think he'd be interested? For sure we can't match the Aggie's money, so why would he come here? I doubt if Sumlin even made our list. That article does, however, give the Aggies something else to beat their chests about. Truth doesn't matter these days and stuff like that sells.

Whether they thought he was interested or not it was worth checking since he is from Brewton, Alabama.

Also there are a number of reasons for Sumlin to stay at A&M but Auburn not able to match Aggie money is not one of them. Auburn is the 19th most profitable program in the nation. We have money. Probably the main reason JJ is still AD.

Interesting topic. I agree with those who say it doesn't matter what choice Gus was. It only matters if it works out. History has been re-written about that school to the west of us, and people now think Saban was their first choice and Mal was always "the man" at AD. Well Nicky was not even the second choice, and if Mal didn't bring him back to Tuscaloosa, chances are they hire a new AD. That seems to have turned out OK for them, and I'm guessing (and hoping!) that Gus works out great for us.

[ellitor 33,285]

Interesting topic. I agree with those who say it doesn't matter what choice Gus was. It only matters if it works out. History has been re-written about that school to the west of us, and people now think Saban was their first choice and Mal was always "the man" at AD. Well Nicky was not even the second choice, and if Mal didn't bring him back to Tuscaloosa, chances are they hire a new AD. That seems to have turned out OK for them, and I'm guessing (and hoping!) that Gus works out great for us.

Who was their first choice then? Saban had already turned it down once before Bama tried Rich-Rod in that cycle. When Saban said yes that was the second or third time Bama came to him.

[doc4aday 1,887]

I think sumlin is a good and innovative coach no doubt. He has a proven track record. I respect him and think he has the tools to be a highly successful coach. However, I think it is only time before he moves to the NFL. I believe that we have a very good coach with CGM. Gus will have us in the thick of things each season, include 2013. Gus is good and GOD is great!

[cooltigger21 0]

I doubt if Sumlin got more than some "unofficial person" asking if he'd be interested, if he even got that.

Think a second here: Why would anyone at AU think he'd be interested? For sure we can't match the Aggie's money, so why would he come here? I doubt if Sumlin even made our list. That article does, however, give the Aggies something else to beat their chests about. Truth doesn't matter these days and stuff like that sells.

Whether they thought he was interested or not it was worth checking since he is from Brewton, Alabama.

Also there are a number of reasons for Sumlin to stay at A&M but Auburn not able to match Aggie money is not one of them. Auburn is the 19th most profitable program in the nation. We have money. Probably the main reason JJ is still AD.

Ellitor, we don't have anywhere near the money A&M has. Someone remarked that when A&M joined the SEC West, the endowment total for the entire division instantly doubled. I didn't bother checking that fact but I don't doubt it one bit. Never, ever get in a bidding war with them, we nor anybody else in the SEC can match them dollar for dollar.

TAM is in the top 10 list of universities for endowments. Harvard is first. TAM is the land grant college of Texas and there's lots of oil in that land plus some very wealthy alumni. That said they have spent lots of money on football and haven't done that well against UTA.

Very wealthy indeed. The man that started Clear Channel is an alumnus if I'm not mistaken.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Interesting topic. I agree with those who say it doesn't matter what choice Gus was. It only matters if it works out. History has been re-written about that school to the west of us, and people now think Saban was their first choice and Mal was always "the man" at AD. Well Nicky was not even the second choice, and if Mal didn't bring him back to Tuscaloosa, chances are they hire a new AD. That seems to have turned out OK for them, and I'm guessing (and hoping!) that Gus works out great for us.

Who was their first choice then? Saban had already turned it down once before Bama tried Rich-Rod in that cycle. When Saban said yes that was the second or third time Bama came to him.

I'd be curious to know the answer to that as well b/c that's how i recall the situation as well regading Bama.

[DyeHardAllTheWay 0]

Saban or Spurrier was the first choice. Then, they went after Chan Gailey and Rich Rodriguez, then practically begged Saban to come.

[AURandy56 148]

Saban or Spurrier was the first choice. Then, they went after Chan Gailey and Rich Rodriguez, then practically begged Saban to come.

They begged Saban to come alright, with the richest (at the time) contract---4 mil per year, I believe---with NO BUYOUT and total control of the program as well as the university (I know the last part wasn't part of the contract, but he does have control of that school).

[AUEngineer2016 407]

They begged Saban to come alright, with the richest (at the time) contract---4 mil per year, I believe---with NO BUYOUT and total control of the program as well as the university (I know the last part wasn't part of the contract, but he does have control of that school).

I have a few friends from high school at UAT and they all say the same thing- right now, Bama football controls UAT and Saban controls Bama football. Therefore, Saban controls UAT.