(Stolen from Aggie thread on IT)
A few Thurday notes
7,040 Views | 87 Replies | Last: 4 min ago by AgsMyDude
Liucci
11:51p, 12/1/22
Staff
AG
I'm going to hit these very rapid fire and will talk more about some of this tomorrow:
-There are some names that I think you guys may be off on when it comes to this coaching search. Contrary to what many on here and elsewhere tried to run with, Brian Hartline was never under consideration nor did every receive a phone call from the Aggies. Before you trot out the tired "but they don't have to 'call' them! The agents do that!" line, keep in mind that Jimbo has been conversing directly with coaches throughout the week. And, no, Arkansas' Kendall Briles wasn't on that list, either.
-It's my understanding that Tom Herman was under consideration as one of the 'handful' of candidates but wasn't a primary option due mainly to the fact that he was likely to land a head coaching job - either Arizona State or FAU (which he took today). Former Florida head coach Dan Mullen is also someone who I've heard is under consideration, along with at least three or four others.
As far as fits go, I'm still very high on Baylor's Jeff Grimes but that's just my personal opinion. I'm also not nearly as bullish as some 'insiders' and message board firestarters are that North Carolina's Phil Longo will ultimately be the guy though there is enough of a connection there for him to draw legitimate A&M interest.
-Two things I have heard that, in my opinion, should strike you guys as very interesting are the fact Jimbo has been making it clear with any and every prospective candidate that he fully intends to pass along play calling duties to his hand-picked hire. I've also heard that a couple of candidates are guys whose systems are a lot more wide open than I would have originally expected. That's a great sign regardless of where Jimbo and the Ags land because it means he's open to just about anything and is truly exploring all options. Fisher has also been very hands on when it comes to this hire so everything I've heard this week I've considered very positive and quite encouraging. Jimbo and the Aggies are giving themselves a chance to get this thing right.
-As far as Aggies considering the NFL, I'm not getting the best vibes right now on where Jaylon Jones is at on the stay-or-go spectrum. He's being told by some that he's a 'late first rounder,' which would be very difficult to pass up. However, most NFL types I talk to - including everything from scouts to coaches to assistant GMs to head coaches - view Jones as a Round 3 type right now. This one will depend on who Jones believes. Ainias Smith and Antonio Johnson? Still expecting both to enter the draft and Devon Achane staying still feels like a longshot but I think he's likely to have a hell of an NIL/insurance policy combo that will give him the very real option of staying.
-How about the portal? Behind the scenes a ton of progress has been made on the NIL front and Jimbo's end-of-season player meetings have gone about as well as possible. I'd be lying if I said every single important player is 100% all-in with returning in the Maroon & White next fall but the guys I'm talking about are still more likely to stay than leave and the overwhelming number of returning starters and key young players are set on returning in 2023. So far, none of the departures have come as any sort of surprise, including defensive end Tunmise Adeleye. The former national top-100 signee opened the season as a starter and the Ags would have loved to have had him back but he wasn't available as a true freshman and was injured two games in this fall and missed most of the season while some younger DEs established themselves while #30 was sidelined. It's a tough situation that underclassmen around college football are facing this week.
In sticking with that theme, don't be surprised to see the Ags end up approaching double-digits in the portal before all is said and done. While folks are waiting to make a big deal about whoever is on the way out of College Station, what they might want to pay closer attention to will be who is coming in. Things on that front should be interesting next weekend, when the Aggies are expected to host several potential portallers.
-Finally, expect to see the Ags lose a staffer from outside of their 10 full-time assistants to Deon Sanders' staff at Colorado (yes, you read that correctly, Coach Prime is heading to Boulder).