I talked to a few people who were in the big conclave yesterday, and when it came to names they were absolutely told to say nothing -- which I would sure hope would be the case. But still got a lot out of them.
First off, there have been more than 10 interviews, as I said yesterday (apparently not in English, but whatever). The list of candidates was described as "really strong", and some are younger while some are in their 50s. But there's a huge emphasis on not just X's and O's, but NIL, recruiting and the portal. There's a very big emphasis on how these guys would build a program and build a tight bond amongst teammates in this new era. They've got a very strict profile in terms of what they're looking for and aren't deviating from it (so no Deion). And they're going to use that profile to weed out candidates. Basically, this is going to be the anti-Jimbo.
One thing that really struck me in conversations was the emphasis on developing work ethic. For all Jimbo said about doing things not until you do it right, but you don't do it wrong, there's a feeling that his teams (especially the past couple of years) didn't play with full effort and nothing was done to fix it. That's an ouch if ever there was one. They're looking for a guy who can instill work ethic in players so it's natural, and not a situation where they're getting screamed at for not busting their butts. We're not going to see "Pride, Effort, Toughness, Discipline and Grit" on the walls; they want that to be woven into the basic elements of the program and not just as buzzwords.
A&M is at least kicking around the idea that the contract for the next coach will be heavily incentive-laden, with a lot of those incentives being pretty easy to reach. A national title would be a massive additional payday. So far, coaches have not objected, from what I've been told.
Even though they've talked to coordinators, the primary targets are sitting head coaches. They pointed to basketball (Buzz and Joni Taylor) and baseball (Schloss) as the examples of what they want to do. Established coaches, stong track records at other programs who could come in and have the ability to make quick changes.
The absolute objective is to have this done before the portal opens. They'd like to have it done shortly after the LSU game, but no later than Dec. 3. That might be dicey with some candidates, as they're trying to figure out how "CFP coaches" could make that move. So yeah, there's that. The net is very wide.
A&M has made it abundantly clear they would like Elijah Robinson to stay. E-Rob is on board with that. So far, no coaching candidates have objected, which is an indication of how well-respected E-Rob is.
So that's what I got from the conclave.
Now, this is purely me talking. Nothing from the BMAs. I keep hearing Ryan Day. Laugh all you want, and I wouldn't blame you if you did. But he allegedly has issues with some of the bigwigs at Ohio State and keep in mind that A&M's NIL director just came from there. In a very Jimbo fashion, Day would like to handle football and be left alone with his toys. There may be too many hands in the cookie jar for his liking.
The fact that Day is even being mentioned is a reminder to discount nothing. Except Deion Sanders. That's an absolute no bleeping way. And I'm not just saying that to say that.
n.rivals.com
