Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork might have made the understatement of the year on Monday.
“Do you have the chops to deal with this job? (It’s) not for everybody,” Bjork said, during an appearance on the Aggie Fan Zone radio show, in a bit of a coaching search update here (‘Not For Everybody’: AD Ross Bjork Reveals Standards of Texas A&M Aggies Coaching Job).
To quote Harry Hogge, the grisly crew chief from the Tom Cruise/ NASCAR film “Days Of Thunder:”
“You said it.”
The Aggies dismissed former head coach Jimbo Fisher and sent him packing with $76 million in tow (what a way to be sent packing) about two weeks ago, and since then, everybody from Deion Sanders to Dabo Swinney, Texas-San Antonio coach Jeff Traylor to Oregon coach Dan Lanning, Duke’s Mike Elko to “Sesame Street’s” Elmo have been linked to the job.
In fact, I think Elmo issued a denial today, saying he was staying on “Sesame Street.”
Bjork explained his take on why the Aggies’ job isn’t for the average coach.
And then I’ll pick up and expand on that when he’s done.
“This is not an 8-4 job. It’s not,” the A&M AD said. “Because of the decision we made (on Fisher), but also because of the resources and expectations. Does somebody have the wherewithal to deal with that, the weight of (the job) and the magnitude, and not get fazed and rattled, not panic, and if something doesn’t go right, they fix what they need to fix?”
And that’s why, ladies and gentlemen, as much as I love coach Traylor – and I covered coach Traylor in high school, watching his teams at Gilmer – that I don’t believe it’ll be Traylor. Traylor, 55, will be viewed at by A&M fans and alumni as an up-and-comer. You don’t fire someone like Fisher, and send him off with three-quarters of a $100 million for an up-and-comer.
The Aggies are looking for not just a big fish: they’re looking for JAWS.
Jaws, in this case, is not Deion. Deion is not ready for the pressure-cooker that College Station will be next Thanksgiving when Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns come to town. Sanders might be a Hall-of-Fame player, and there’s no question about that. But he’s not a Hall-of-Fame coach, not yet, he’s not.
The Aggies need Nick Saban, but they’re not getting him.
So, what’s the next best thing?
There are a few.
They could try and lure Swinney away from Clemson. There seems to be frustrations there, and while it’s long been assumed he was waiting on Saban to retire – Swinney is an Alabama alum – Saban doesn’t look to be on the cusp of doing so. And Swinney’s coaching mentor is Gene Stallings, who coached at A&M and still has ties there. He might be persuaded to coach in College Station for a while, although money won’t likely be an object. Coaching in the SEC might. Dabo is a competitor.
Bringing Urban Meyer out of retirement? Be careful what you wish for. Meyer is a champion, but at what cost? He’s sullied programs at Florida and at Ohio State, and are the folks at College Station willing to put up with that? They would surely be under a microscope.
A similar microscope would come with the un-retirement of former LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who seems to be the favorite of alumni online, on message boards. Orgeron would put together a fantastic staff, likely quickly, and has shown he can not only recruit and compete in the SEC, but can win big.
Is Bjork up to the task of hiring a big fish?
We’ll find out soon.
