College GameDay hosts evaluate best options for Texas A&M coaching vacancy

ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Bill Connelly broke down the best options for the Texas A&M coaching vacancy after the firing of Jimbo Fisher on the College GameDay Podcast.

The school elected to fire Fisher prior to the end of the season and also pay the $76 million in buyout money. But, the Aggies get a jump start on the search.

Connelly’s best option? UTSA’s Jeff Traylor among the rest of the floated names.

Jeff Traylor, UTSA HC

Connelly: “It should be Jeff Traylor. I think he’s perfectly built … When you spend $70 million to get rid of your last coach, I assume there’s some sort of baked in desire to make an enormous splash with the next hire, which can then lead you to not making the best hire on the board. 

“And I think that probably penalizes Traylor because number one he’s UTSA’s head coach. not Oregon’s or anybody else’s. And they started this year really poorly, had guys hurt, they have caught fire over the last like, what four to six weeks? I think Traylor’s pulling off one of his better coaching jobs. They’re still 6-0 in the AAC and their first year there, but haven’t played anybody particularly impressive but they will. I think Traylor would be perfect. I assume he is not at the top of the list because he’s not a big enough name. And that seems to be the overpowering thing here.”

Traylor is 7-3 this season, but as Connelly mentioned, is undefeated in conference play. He won back-to-back titles in Conference USA and finished 12-2 and 11-3, respectively over the last two years. 

Overall, Traylor is 37-13 as a head coach but has yet to win a postseason game. Still, there’s no denying his ability as a head coach right now.

Dan Lanning, Oregon HC

Connelly: “As far as Lanning goes, you’re right. I think one of the things that Lanning seemed to understand over the last couple of years was that I’ve got a really good I’ve got I can recruit really well and I’m in the Pac 12, with an easier path towards the top. Now he’s not in the Pac-12. He goes from having the best team in the Pac 12 … to the third best team in the Big Ten and you can almost say it’s kind of a peak situation for them. 

“So now I would say if he’s just looking at pure job security and uniqueness and everything else, maybe Oregon isn’t an attractive as it was like six months ago in that regard, and maybe it is worth taking on the absolute hell that is coaching Texas A&M’s football team where everybody assumes this is the one everybody you know, it’s a great job even though nobody ever succeeds at it.”

Lanning has had great success right away with Oregon. 10-3 last year and now 9-1 this year, on the cusp of a Pac-12 title and possible playoff berth, Lanning has a lot of buzz.

The former Georgia defensive coordinator brings a no nonsense type of approach. Maybe that works at Texas A&M, but we all know how different it is down in College Station. Will Lanning listen? He already said he wants to stay at Oregon, but those are just words.

Mike Elko, Duke HC

Thamel: “What about Mike Elko? Everything fell apart at A&M after Mike Elko left. And obviously what he has done at Duke has been remarkable in a lot of ways … So I think a lot of us junkies found ourselves hooked on the ACC Network late at night to see if, with a third string quarterback, they could could figure out a way to to beat Carolina and they didn’t but you know, certainly that program, the sum has been greater than the parts. I think that’s probably the best way to sum it up.”

The Elko buzz is real because the Duke head coach made his mark at Texas A&M. As Thamel pointed out, it seems like the wheels fell off after he left his defensive coordinator gig.

Elko is 15-8 as a head coach, went 9-4 in 2022, winning the Military Bowl, and created a new buzz around Blue Devils football. Can he keep it going in the ACC? Sure. But there will be a lot more pressure in the SEC, that’s for sure.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss HC

Connelly: “I know those are the three headliners, I think you know, from an entertainment value standpoint, I think Lane Kiffin is a very obvious move here. I don’t know if I would make that move personally, but it would certainly be entertaining.”

Thamel: “I think our bosses would like that move. Pure theater and ratings. Yeah, that would be there would be some (harmony) there.”

This would be pure comedy. Kiffin doesn’t care about anyone’s opinions, is glorious with the media and is a pro at social media. He’s also a heck of a football coach to boot.

Since his exile to Alabama and ultimately head coaching rebirth, Kiffin made Florida Atlantic relevant and made Ole Miss an SEC contender. The Rebels are just maybe a few guys away.

So, examining all the resources at Texas A&M, doesn’t this make sense?