(Photo by Tucson.com)
Damn, that was brutal. It was hard to watch.... or listen, which I did . The Arizona Wildcats were pantsed in front of.......well, no one. It was a momentous tragedy. The Wildcats' main rival, the Arizona State Sun Devils, figured they would have a hard-fought battle for the Territorial Cup. It was supposed to be turn in the right direction for the U of A. But it didn't.
70-7......a 63-point loss in Tucson where at one point, the Sun Devils' radio broadcast team of Tim Healey and Jeff Van Raaphorst were trolling the Wildcats while plugging the local businesses and sponsors for the university. A painful reminder of what could have been. No, I don't mean the actual Arizona Wildcats' football team, I mean the head coach who was in the situation to turn them around.....and many others before that.
Kevin Sumlin's rise to the college football coaching ranks began at Oklahoma, where he was co-offensive coordinator and assistant coach under the legendary Bob Stoops. During his last season, the Sooners averaged 44 points per game, one of the best in the country. This success made Sumlin a hot head coaching prospect and the University of Houston was more than giving to give Sumlin a shot as a head coach, naming him to the position in December 2007.
At the University of Houston, Sumlin would turn around a program that was receiving national attention. But in 2010, the Cougars went 5-7, yet he was still considered to head coaching jobs for elite universities, which was puzzling. Well, the Cougars responded in 2011 with a 12-1 record with Sumlin winning the C-USA Coach of the Year honor. He had a quarterback during this time that you probably heard of. Case Keenum also grabbed a slew of awards from this season and now, has craved out a solid career in the NFL. So, Sumlin made a decision to leave Houston to venture to "greener pastures". He was hired as the new head coach at Texas A&M.
This was a homecoming for Sumlin, of sorts. He was the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at A&M under R.C. Slocum in 2001-2002. In his first year, Sumlin made a move that many questioned, but he stuck by his decision. He inserted redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel into the starting quarterback position and as they say, the rest is history. Manziel had one of the most proficient seasons in college football history. Sumlin had his signature win as head coach when the Aggies went against defending national champion and #1 ranked Alabama at Tuscaloosa, and won! Thanks to Manziel and a certain receiver named Mike Evans. The NFL and fantasy football owners and participants thank you for Mike Evans. Texas A&M went 11-2 and Sumlin won the conference coach of the year honor, and.....Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy and the Aggies were heading towards dominance. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention. Texas A&M entered their first season in the SEC, one of the most difficult conferences in college football to recruit or draw fans.
This is where the hype fades. Despite Sumlin accounting a winning record during his time at Texas A&M, it wasn't enough to turn the Aggies into a prestige program. I don't think it was his fault since he did everything he could to do that, but couldn't with the likes of Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State...you get the point. After six seasons, Sumlin was fired by Texas A&M.
In January 2018, the University of Arizona hired him to be their next head coach, replacing Rich Rodriguez. This was a historic moment since I believe it was the first time that U of A and Arizona State have employed African-American head coaches at the same time as Herman Edwards was hired at ASU a month earlier. While Edwards as done an exceptional job in turning the Sun Devils into the right direction, Sumlin wasn't able to do that in Tucson. It was a disaster where he suffered a losing record in three seasons. Then came the 2020 Territorial Cup game. A harsh ending for a career trying to rise back to prominence. The day after, it became so terrible that former players and alumni wanted the current regime gone.
See what I mean. Later that day, Sumlin was fired by Arizona.
Could Kevin Sumlin come back to the upper echelon of head coaching? It could happen. But for now, he should start small and work his way back up, either as a coordinator or a head coach. He had a great run as coach and I personally hope he does get another shot since he is highly respected and well-liked by his players and peers. One day, Kevin Sumlin will succeed as head coach again.
At least U of A's basketball team is in good hands......oh, wait.
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