After another November swoon from Texas A&M last season, Kevin Sumlin finds himself on the hot seat entering the 2017 season.
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Just exactly how many wins will be enough to save Sumlin's job is the biggest question for the Aggies after three consecutive 8-5 seasons.
Newy Scruggs, a sports anchor at NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS-TV) and weekday radio host for NBC Sports Radio SiriusXM said that 10 wins might not be enough because the Aggies have their sights set on Chip Kelly to be their next head coach.
"Kevin Sumlin needs to win nine or ten games to stay but I think the Aggies will still want to get Chip Kelly to be their next head coach," Scruggs said via the Dallas Morning News. "The Aggies lusted after Dennis Franchione years ago and I see that same lust from the Aggie faithful again."
The Aggies won't be the only school to fire a good coach just to get in the Chip Kelly sweepstakes. Other coaches on the hot seat—Jim Mora at UCLA, Butch Jones at Tennessee, Brian Kelly at Notre Dame—will all have Chip Kelly rumors floating over their shoulders if they start off the season on a poor note.
If Chip Kelly wants to coach again, it likely won't be in the NFL. And he will have a long list of suitors in college football. Most of the big name schools likely won't have a coaching change after this season, but any contender with a below average season could look to join the Chip Kelly sweepstakes.
It's hard to imagine Texas A&M letting Sumlin go if he wins 10 games this season, but it's also hard to imagine the Aggies winning 10 games in the loaded SEC West. If Texas A&M finishes 8-5 for the fourth straight season, they might have a new coach in 2018, and they will certainly go after Chip Kelly if he's still available.
(h/t Dallas Morning News)
