Nov 26, 2017 4 min read

Texas A&M has fired coach Kevin Sumlin after six winning seasons.

The first black head coach in program history was 51-26 and 25-23 in the Southeastern Conference and never had a losing season. But his first year at A&M was his best, and he never could come close to matching it.

In 2012, Sumlin had a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Johnny Manziel and ushered in the program’s move from the Big 12 to the SEC by going 11-2. That earned him a new contract and $5 million annual salary, but the Aggies have not won more than nine games since.

The Aggies ended their regular season Saturday by losing to LSU . They dropped to 7-5 and finished 4-4 in the SEC for the fourth time under Sumlin.

Athletic director Scott Woodward, who was hired by the school in the summer of 2016, said in a statement that Sumlin made Texas A&M “a better all-around football program and led our program with dignity and character.”

“Our expectations at A&M are very high,” Woodward said. “We believe that we should compete for SEC championships on an annual basis and, at times, national championships. I believe that we need a new coach to take us there.”

Sumlin, 53, had two years left on his contract, which calls for a $10 million buyout to be paid within 60 days of his termination. Texas A&M said the terms of the deal would be honored.

Stuck behind powerhouse Alabama in the SEC West Division, Sumlin never won a division crown. He also faced enormous pressure this season to deliver big results. After Texas A&M blew a huge lead and lost the season opener at UCLA, a school regent publicly called for Sumlin to be fired.

Texas A&M has long been seen as a potential powerhouse that has not maxed out its huge resources. The Aggies haven’t won a conference championship since winning the Big 12 in 1998, but A&M led all of Division I in athletic revenue in 2015-16 .

Tennessee reaches out to Schiano

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer says Tennessee has contacted Buckeyes defensive coordinator Greg Schiano about its head coaching vacancy.

Meyer didn’t have any additional details about Tennessee’s potential interest in his defensive coordinator. Meyer was speaking Sunday during a conference call previewing Ohio State’s Big Ten championship game matchup with Wisconsin

Tennessee is seeking a new coach after the Nov. 12 firing of Butch Jones, who went 34-27 overall and 14-24 in Southeastern Conference competition in five seasons.

Although Schiano has been an assistant at Ohio State the last two seasons, he posted a 68-67 record as Rutgers’ head coach from 2001-11 and also had an unsuccessful two-year stint coaching the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tennessee (4-8, 0-8 SEC) ended its season Saturday with a 42-24 loss to Vanderbilt.

Report: Florida wants Mullen

A person familiar with the search tells the Associated Press that Florida has targeted Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen as its next football coach.

The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Sunday because the Gators and Mullen were still working toward a deal. Yahoo Sports first reported Florida’s intentions.

The expected move would reunite Florida with Mullen, who helped develop quarterbacks Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott.

Spurned by Chip Kelly and seemingly unwilling to risk waiting for UCF’s Scott Frost to possibly do the same, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin turned to Mullen. Stricklin and Mullen worked together in Starkville, Miss., from 2009 to 2016. Stricklin was Mississippi State’s athletic director for seven of those years.

Mullen previously spent four years (2005-08) as Florida’s offensive coordinator and won two national championships while guiding Tebow to the top of the school record books.