By Vanessa M. Sanchez and Juan R. Garcia
Texas A&M first-year coach Kevin Sumlin said Monday that a change of attitude is key to winning in the upcoming football season.
Sumlin, guest of Texas A&M Regent Elaine Mendoza at a luncheon hosted by the San Antonio A&M Club, 6205 W. Ave, said change is achieved through physical and mental training. That coaching insight and other leadership shifts described a new era for Aggie football as it completes its exit from the Big 12 and heads to the Southeastern Conference this summer.
Sumlin was hired in December 2011 after former coach, Mike Sherman, was fired for a lackluster 6-6 season culminating in a loss against UT.
His “state of the union on college football” gave Aggie alumni spanning several generations, a closer look at the landscape of A&M football under new coaching direction.
Sumlin’s appearance attracted a full house, said San Antonio A&M Club President Art Blackburn, including State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, area businessmen and representatives from A&M-San Antonio.
“This was a good crowd,” he said. “At A&M, we love sports, but football is key.”
On average, meetings bring a maximum of 60 members, Blackburn said. On Monday, the club doubled normal attendance, serving 120 lunch plates.
‘State of the Union’ on Aggie Football
“We understand the task we have going into the SEC,” Sumlin told the audience. During the interview process for head coach, Sumlin joked he didn’t know A&M would be transitioning to the Southeastern Conference.
Sumlin outlined several ideas to enhance talent within the program. “You cannot ignore that conditioning is a factor,” Sumlin said. “And you cannot ignore that attitude is a factor, too.”
Sumlin said he was up for the challenge, but would be making some changes.
Spring football will begin in April, he said, adding that the schedule will be released after Feb. 1. That schedule, he said, was determined by two factors: the limited cold, rainy weather will be less of an issue, and the players will have more time to strengthen and build camaraderie so that they are on the same page by season’s start.
New Coaching Staff
The Houston Chronicle reported Monday that Sumlin has filled all his assistant slots except linebackers coach.
Since the hiring of the new coaching staff, Sumlin said, “I’m very pleased at where we are.”
“We can’t improve as a team unless we improve individually,” Sumlin told the audience. “I think we’ve hired an excellent working team and coaching staff that knows what it takes to get there.”
Monday’s luncheon fell on the same day as the formal announcement of secondary coach Marcell Yates’ hiring.
Sumlin said he was looking for a good coach and someone who could develop and recruit talent.
“I thought it was really important to bring in a strong secondary coach,” Sumlin said. “It’s very hard to have so-called recruiters and so-called coaches, you have to have both.”
Though new to the College Station community, Sumlin has forged new connections quickly. As recently as two weeks ago, he organized a coaches tour of the A&M campus.
“I felt it was important for them to understand the A&M tradition and everything that goes on,” he said.
Sumlin said feedback from Aggie team members has been positive.
“I think we have have huge potential,” Sumlin said of both the players and the coaches.
‘No such thing as a 5-year plan’
Alumni questioned Sumlin on his plans for the upcoming season and for the future of Texas A&M football.
Mat Hardy, Texas A&M alumni of ‘74, said he thought Sumlin came off strong.
“He seemed to know what the problems were, and (it) sounds like he has a plan to correct them,” Hardy said.
He pointed out his faith in Sumlin’s new approach and management of A&M’s football program.
“I look forward to him being coach,” Hardy said. “He was 30th in the nation last year (and) that’s a whole lot better than our team was.”
Sumlin did not specify about the upcoming season, but assured his audience he will do his best to put A&M on top for recruiting exceptional talent.
“I’m very happy to see Coach Sumlin be the new head football coach,” Rob Feldman, A&M class of ‘05, said. “I’m excited about the new era he’s going to bring to A&M football. He’s going to try to make the program better.”
Is he optimistic? Feldman said he understood it was going to be a tough road.
“I don’t think that we’re going to win every game,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be a very productive year. I think it will be very good for us long term. I’m willing to be patient.”
Sumlin said it is too soon to say who will be the Aggies’ main rival within the Southeastern Conference, but in his opinion, every team is a main rival.
For now, he’s focused on establishing a rapport with his team, setting standards and building new patterns.
“You can’t expect different results and do the same thing over and over again.”
“You need to have great expectations,” Sumlin said, “but you also have to know what it takes to get there. I think you can be as tough on players as long as they know that you care.
Sumlin’s return to College Station will be met with new opportunities, including a state-of-the-art athletic facility.
He said last week’s ground breaking ceremonies in College Station were held to mark the construction of A&M-College Station’s new $9 million Player Development Center. According to Sumlin, the new facility will be important in the recruiting process for new A&M players. He did not, however, specify a completion date.
Upcoming Events at Aggie Park
Monday luncheons occur weekly at the San Antonio A&M Club to foster a place where Aggies can meet with friends and family to share the traditions of Texas A&M.
Club President Art Blackburn ‘70 maintains a regular schedule of events for members and guests, including a monthly steak night as well as guest speakers on a wide range of topics including sports, financial awareness and other issues of interest to A&M alumni.
The annual Aggie Family BBQ is scheduled for May 19. A separate event, the Aggie Family Golf Tournament is scheduled for May 18. Registration for both events begins Feb. 13. To register and purchase tickets, visit aggiepark.com.
For more information about Aggie Park, call 210-341-1393.
For more information about the Aggie Golf Tournament, call Tim Monfort at 210-360-9825.
