Should A&M's Mike Sherman Be Nervous?
COLLEGE STATION (CBSSPORTS.COM) - There have been a lot of head coaches fired since Saturday, as there are openings now across the country in just about every conference. There have also been a lot of questions about Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman's future at the school for most of the season, as the Aggies finished the year 6-6 suffering a number of collapses along the way. Still, to this point Sherman still has his job, though if he heard his boss talking on Wednesday, he can't be feeling very confident.
Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin talked to the Bryan-College Station Eagle and when asked about the future of the program and Mike Sherman, Loftin didn't exactly sound like he was committing to anything.
"I've been talking to [athletic director] Bill Byrne for the last couple weeks," Loftin said. "We're thinking hard about [the season and the future]."
Now while that comment doesn't sound totally damning given that Loftin speaks of a process that generally takes place at every school, compare it to what Loftin told the Austin American-Statesman last week before the loss against Texas.
"As far as I'm concerned, yes, [Sherman will return in 2012]" Loftin told the Statesman. "We don't want to make any hasty moves, and we look forward to him being our football coach in the future."
Quite a change in tone, no?
I've wondered about Sherman's status all season simply because the Aggies problems in 2011 seem to fall more on the coaching staff than the team itself. It's had injuries, yes, but at the same time the Aggies haven't done anything to correct the mistakes that have littered the team all season. Instead of making adjustments, it has felt like Texas A&M has just crossed its fingers and hoped it wouldn't happen again.
Combine that with the fact that the school is moving to the SEC next season, and it might want to go into a new conference with a fresh start rather than a coach who is on the hot seat.
