Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples made a visit to Texas A&M, where new head coach Kevin Sumlin isn't necessarily rebuilding the Aggies, but maybe rebooting. Check out the entire profile here (and like any profile Staples does, it's wonderfully in-depth), which features Sumlin on A&M's nationally pandered choking issues in 2011, as well as the affect the SEC logo has on recruiting in Texas:
"I just thought it was more important that our strength and conditioning coach had more time with them," Sumlin said. "If you go back and look at the results of last season, to be ahead in five of the six losses at halftime, you would have to put your head in the sand to not say strength and conditioning had to be a factor."
...He pointed to the SEC logo on the sleeve of the Texas A&M shirt he wore as an example of the aggressive rebranding. "We went with it right away," he said. He believes recruits responded. For years, the best Texas players had to leave the state if they wanted to play anywhere but the Big 12. Now, they have options. "I think [the SEC] opened some doors for us, and it kind of separated us and gave us a different view for a kid," Sumlin said. "Now, in the state, you've got the Big 12, you've got the Big East and you've got the SEC. It gave us a different brand."
For more on the Texas A&M Aggies, check out I Am The 12th Man and SB Nation's college football page.
