Longhorns' Coaching Search Struggle Is More Evidence That Football Power In Texas Has Shifted To A&M
This is just the latest evidence that Texas A&M has surpassed the University of Texas as the football powerhouse in the state.
Earlier today, Baylor head coach Art Briles took his name out of consideration, releasing a statement saying he has "no desire to pursue other coaching positions."
Meanwhile, Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times says there have been no talks between Texas and UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. and that there is "no chance" he will be the next coach at Texas. This comes after a report by Chip Brown of OrangeBloods.com, that the school's "coaching search focus [is] now squarely on [Mora]."
Prior to this, Texas was reportedly interested in both Nick Saban of Alabama and Jimbo Fisher of Florida State. However, both of those coaches have since signed new contracts with their current schools, presumably taking them out of consideration.
At this point, that leaves Charlie Strong of Louisville and James Franklin of Vanderbilt as the only coaches known to have interviewed for the Texas job. Both are good coaches. However, neither is the household name that is going to excite the fan base and rich alumni in Texas.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M was able to keep Kevin Sumlin as their head coach despite potential overtures from USC and the NFL. The athletic department is also expected to become the largest revenue-maker in college football thanks to record-setting donations in 2013.
On top of that, A&M has commitments from two of the top eight and 11 of the top 300 high school players in the country according to ESPN.com's recruiting database. Texas has just seven of the top 300 and none in the top 75.
When Mack Brown resigned he stated that the program is "being pulled in different directions," suggesting political in-fighting. Now the school is struggling to find somebody to fill what was once considered by many to be the best coaching job in college football.
Texas has the resources to return to the top. But until the school fixes the politics and finds the right coach, they are clearly behind Texas A&M in the football world.