HOUSTON (CBS Houston) – Did the Philadelphia Eagles offer Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin a head coaching job? Billy Liucci, co-owner of TexAgs.com, claimed that not only was Sumlin offered the Eagles’ head coaching job, but also the opportunity to become head coach at Auburn University.
Without naming teams, Sumlin acknowledged to the San Antonio Express that he did have a head coaching opportunity in the NFL.
“I’ve never coached in the NFL. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do that, both as an assistant coach and even as a head coach. But there’s a reason I coach college football, and we’ve got a lot of work to do here. We’re still playing catch-up, and we finished third in the SEC West last year,” Sumlin said Wednesday.
“By no means have we arrived.”
The 48-year old Sumlin claims that the surfacing rumors are an attempt to dissuade prospects from committing to Texas A&M. By garnering uncertainty around the head coach, is all the NFL talk just a means to start some negativity surrounding recruiting?
“The recruiting pitch out there right now against us is ‘you can’t play there, they’ve got good players. And their coach is going to the NFL,” Sumlin told the San Antonio Express-News. “I think it’s funny either way.”
If the chatter about Sumlin’s future is mean to deter prospects, it has not worked so far. The Aggies recently received an oral commitment from Arizona native Kyle Allen, one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the class of 2014.
As for leaving for more lucrative offers, Sumlin received a $1.1 million annual raise and contract extension after his first season in College Station. Sumlin’s buyout remains $2 million, until after the end of his second season when it will start to decrease. As for going to the NFL, Sumlin said, “It won’t be anytime soon.”
