Kevin Sumlin is a superstar coach at Texas A&M. He was rumored to be in mix for the Gophers job before Minnesota hired Jerry Kill, and now his name is back in the rumor mill for Minnesota after the chairman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents name dropped him in an interview with 1500 ESPN.
“The market is going to determine what salary benefits are being paid. Chip Kelly, (Kevin) Sumlin, (P.J.) Fleck … the list goes on and on,” said Dean Johnson, answering a question about the financial likelihood of hiring a big name coach.
He snuck in Sumlin’s name and said the list goes on and on. Except for one thing: Nobody has named Sumlin as a possible candidate.
So does Johnson know something everyone else doesn’t? There’s a good chance he does as chairman of the board.
“We need somebody who knows Minnesota,” Johnson added. “The culture, how we think, how we live and what’s important to us. That’s as important as the ability to coach football.”
Sumlin, who coached Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans at A&M, knows Minnesota as well as any potential coach. His wife is from Minnesota and he spent five years as an assistant with the Gophers from 1993-97.
Additionally, Sumlin’s time at Texas A&M is a bit murky considering he hasn’t guided the Aggies to success in the SEC like everyone thought he could. They were ranked fourth overall to begin the season before finishing 8-5. SECCountry.com says Sumlin is on the hot seat.
Making Sumlin even more intriguing is that he doesn’t have a buyout, according to NFL.com. As of Jan. 1, he can leave Texas A&M without owing them a dime, according to NFL.com.
