WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON AT TEXAS A&M?
Some of you have wondered why I have been reporting on developments at Texas A&M recently, and I have some source relationships connected to TAMU System chancellor John Sharp and former Gov. Rick Perry from when I covered them as statewide office holders as a news reporter for The Associated Press in Austin (1992-98).
A little more background before we get into whether Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin ever wanted QB Kyler Murray or was forced to take the legacy of A&M record-setting QB Kevin Murray by A&M strong arms so Kyler wouldn’t go to Texas.
Perry and Sharp were roommates at Texas A&M.
Both obviously went on to win election to statewide office – Sharp as comptroller and Perry as the longest-tenured governor in state history.
In 2011, Perry-controlled regents at A&M appointed Sharp as chancellor of the 19-member TAMU System.
And pretty much ever since, Sharp, an incredibly savvy and power-hungry politician, has been orchestrating maneuvers to make sure he is the most feared and listened-to leader connected to the A&M campus in College Station (even though Sharp oversees all 19 members of the A&M System).
When A&M celebrated the re-opening of Kyle Field after a $450 million renovation (that I’m told actually cost $520 million because of $70 million in overruns), it was Sharp front-and-center kicking off the festivities.
Not A&M president Michael Young or then-athletic director Eric Hyman.
Sharp.
To friends, Sharp referred to the renovated Kyle Field as “The House That Johnny Built” – as in Johnny Sharp.
But paying for The House That Johnny Built is going to be a different story. The $450 million price tag (and $70 million in cost overruns) is being financed by student fees, ticket sales, suite revenue, A&M’s SEC TV revenue, pledges to the 12th Man Foundation and $25 million from Bryan-College Station.
The biggest problem facing A&M as it pays off roughly $350 million bonded to the university is that most of the pledges made to help finance a big chunk of the renovation costs were made back when oil was between $80 and $107 a barrel.
Oil is now hovering around $35 a barrel.
“When did things get desperate?” one high-powered A&M source said to me. “When the price of oil went below $50 a barrel.”
Whether he was carried away with his power or overly concerned about keeping interest high in A&M football, Sharp started to micromanage Kevin Sumlin and the football program, starting a year ago at this time, sources told HD.
According to those sources, Sumlin wasn’t concerned about Kyler Murray’s flickering allegiance to A&M and growing interest in committing to the University of Texas. Why? Because Sumlin and OC Jake Spavital were excited about the future of 5-star QB Kyle Allen.
Kevin Murray wasn’t crazy about Sumlin (based on a tweet he made about A&M’s lack of defense during the 2014 season) and probably preferred Texas’ Charlie Strong.
But A&M’s strong arms – led by Sharp – weren’t OK with the idea of Kyler Murray ending up at Texas, the sources said.
The sources said Sumlin was forced to make promises of playing time to the Murray family. Ultimately, those promises and Kyler’s mother saying, “I didn’t name you ‘Kyler,’ after ‘Kyle Field’ for nothing,” helped sway Kyler Murray to sign with the Aggies.
The season – and perhaps the funding of The House That Johnny Built - turned in a home game against Alabama.
That’s when Kyle Allen threw three pick-sixes and was ultimately replaced by Kyler Murray. After Murray threw one interception (not returned for a TD), Murray was replaced by Allen. Murray was irate. Let Spavital have it, and then Murray was benched for the next game against Mississippi.
But the sources said Sharp was blowing up the phones of Sumlin and Spavital starting in the middle of the Alabama game to get Kyler Murray more involved. So when Murray was benched for the Ole Miss game – a 23-3 loss - and the following week, the A&M strong arms told Sumlin to start Murray against South Carolina the following week.
A&M won. Murray started again against Auburn (a loss) and again against Western Carolina (a win).
Kyle Allen, who didn’t play at all against South Carolina or Auburn, then started the last two games of the season against Vanderbilt and LSU as Murray failed to play a single snap in either game.
By that time, sources said, all the relationships were broken - the relationships between the QBs and coaches and between Sharp, Sumlin and Spavital.
Basically, Sumlin contends he was forced to take Kyler Murray and promise playing time, which messed things up with Allen, sources said. And then when Sharp and his strong arms didn’t like the result, they were ready to be done Sumlin and Spavital, sources said.
“The only thing that saved Kevin Sumlin was a $20 million buyout and oil at $36 a barrel,” one source told HD. “Eric Hyman was fired because he didn’t share the view of firing Sumlin.”
I reported on Dec. 17 that Sharp was exploring the possibility of terminating Sumlin’s contract – possibly even having Sumlin fired for cause. I reported then that if Hyman wasn’t on board, he could be fired, too.
But an attorney for Sumlin indicated to A&M officials if Sumlin was fired for cause, the school would be facing a discrimination lawsuit in the neighborhood of $40 million, sources said.
Sharp told San Antonio Express-News reporter Brent Zwernamen my report was a “fairy tale.”
Sharp indicated to me that A&M had a clear chain of command – that Sharp hired and fired presidents, the president hired and fired athletic directors and the AD hired and fired coaches.
But Hyman didn’t want to fire Sumlin and didn’t believe Sumlin needed to fire Spavital.
Sharp and his strong arms, however, needed a scapegoat for A&M’s 71st-ranked scoring offense (27.8 ppg) and for the QB transfers that probably never would have happened if Sumlin wasn’t forced to take Murray, sources said.
For Sharp and his strong arms it’s all about keeping the money flowing to pay off the Kyle Field renovation, which means keeping the big money at A&M happy with football and in the giving mood. So on Wednesday HD reported that Hyman's replacement as AD would be Washington athletic director Scott Woodward and that Spavital's replacement would be UCLA OC Noel Mazzone at more than $1 million per year for three guaranteed years.
The question is if Sharp and the strong arms would have been better off never getting involved in the Kyler Murray recruitment, sources said.
