If I were an up and coming head coach, I wouldn't take that job. It's a career ender. The next coach they hire will be their 4th head coach in the last 10 years. So you get all the pressure of dealing with a big time winning program, without actually getting the perks of working for a big time winning program. This year's group of high school recruits were 5 yeasrs old the last time Texas A&M would want that job. There's no allure there unless you grew up in an Aggie household. Oh, and by the way, you're playing in the SEC next year ... good luck with that. You'll be lucky if you live to see your first recruiting class become seniors.

Met him once when he was the Packer's head coach...seemed like a cool guy.

Welcome to the new Doormat of the $EC.



\Hook 'em.

I know someone on his staff. What are the odds of him keeping his job?

This move really threw me off. While I was just as disappointed in the season as everyone else, I didn't really think he'd reached the fireable level of bad coaching. If you think about it, this was his first year with playing entirely with his own recruits and on top of this the whole athletic program was in a sort of transition period with this whole SEC move happening. Yes, they blew 5 easily winnable games, made the game against Tech way too close, and turned a potentially close game against OU into a rout, but those things go the other way and we're talking about the team being ranked top 10 right now. I don't see the logic in starting over now since Sherman was able to assemble a very talented team (especially since he was just offered an extension) and doing so before the season is over. This firing was very poorly handled at best.

Also, based on what I'm hearing, our athletic director is probably on his way out too. I'm definitely not excited about that because he's been able to turn basically every sport (except football) into nationally ranked, or championship, material.

/sad Aggie

The aTm job is like an even worse version of the Notre Dame job -- all of the crazy expectations, but without the TV contract or recruiting advantage ND has with some of the Catholic school recruits.

Of course, it seems they'll be in the SEC West with Ole Miss, so two of the worst jobs in the country get to hang out in the same division of the same conference now.

Man, they're 6-6 but look:

1-point loss to Oklahoma State (currently #3 in BCS)
4-point loss to Arkansas (#8)
Overtime loss to Missouri
16-point loss to Oklahoma (#10)
3-point loss to Kansas State (#11)
2-point loss to Texas (#22)

So close yet so far away.

Dude was in the first year of having his players as upper classmen. As Bowden once said "First you lose big, then you lose close, then you win close, then you win big". Dude was clearly in the second phase of that, had the team behind him, and was recruiting well.

Aggy fired him and made it clear they're impatient fanbase that will end your career. They farked up and will pay for it in terms of who they'll be able to lure to College Station to replace him.

Super Chronic: Man, they're 6-6 but look:

3-point loss to Oklahoma State (currently #3 in BCS)


So close yet so far away.

FTFY. 2 points were of our own doing to run the rest of the game clock out and really when you think about the lead they had going into halftime, the very fact that A&M lost that game means it was not close (in the second half at least). Outscored 26-7 in half 2 not including the safety.

/Have fun winning 5 games a year in the SEC Aggy.

I can't say I'm surprised but I thought he would at least get another year. This is year 4 so not even really established with his recruiting classes.

He definitely showed an inability to adjust during games, but the gameplans going into the games were usually solid. Not sure it's the best decision to make going into the SEC, but we will see who they hire.

Someone will take their money. Everyone knows college coaches are all greedy whores and any one that says they aren't is a liar.

If they seriously let Bill Byrne go though they are incompetant. He's turned every sport (except) football into very competitive programs and his coaching hires (again outside of football) have all been pretty good if not great.

Minarets: Super Chronic: Man, they're 6-6 but look:

3-point loss to Oklahoma State (currently #3 in BCS)


So close yet so far away.

FTFY. 2 points were of our own doing to run the rest of the game clock out and really when you think about the lead they had going into halftime, the very fact that A&M lost that game means it was not close (in the second half at least). Outscored 26-7 in half 2 not including the safety.

/Have fun winning 5 games a year in the SEC Aggy.

So...only one less than their total wins this year?

Minarets: FTFY. 2 points were of our own doing to run the rest of the game clock out and really when you think about the lead they had going into halftime, the very fact that A&M lost that game means it was not close (in the second half at least). Outscored 26-7 in half 2 not including the safety.

/Have fun winning 5 games a year in the SEC Aggy.

I missed out on the new rule where the first 30 minutes of the game don't count and only the second half matters. And who are you calling Aggy?

k4mi: I can't say I'm surprised but I thought he would at least get another year. This is year 4 so not even really established with his recruiting classes.

He definitely showed an inability to adjust during games, but the gameplans going into the games were usually solid. Not sure it's the best decision to make going into the SEC, but we will see who they hire.

Someone will take their money. Everyone knows college coaches are all greedy whores and any one that says they aren't is a liar.

If they seriously let Bill Byrne go though they are incompetant. He's turned every sport (except) football into very competitive programs and his coaching hires (again outside of football) have all been pretty good if not great.


This. I don't think Byrne is going anywhere, being that he's done such a good job with the non-rev sports. But that's the kicker, you have to have a good football team to keep bringing in the rev for the "Olympic" sports, and he's 0-2 on football coaches. If he'd suddenly had another candidate that "gets A&M" without any searching, I'd be betting on him going 0-3.

I knew the BOD was going to force a OC on Sherman this next year, due to the constant non-adjustments during games, and for his penchant on being on cruise-control in the 2nd half, but this firing floors me.

InmanRoshi: So you get all the pressure of dealing with a big time winning program, without actually getting the perks of working for a big time winning program.

Or without any of the actual winning of a winning program..

Pratty: Minarets: Super Chronic: Man, they're 6-6 but look:

3-point loss to Oklahoma State (currently #3 in BCS)


So close yet so far away.

FTFY. 2 points were of our own doing to run the rest of the game clock out and really when you think about the lead they had going into halftime, the very fact that A&M lost that game means it was not close (in the second half at least). Outscored 26-7 in half 2 not including the safety.

/Have fun winning 5 games a year in the SEC Aggy.

So...only one less than their total wins this year?

Well, yeah. The SEC is going to be hiddeously dilluted in stature with the addition of crappy teams from the big 12.

Being from the SEC wont mean as much.

/Yeah, right. like ESPN could stop manufacturing dominance no matter WHAT happened in real life.... might as well add Northern Iowa, Duquene, Podunk U, and a few all girls schools, ESPN will still make sure you get a title game spot reservation.