SEC Media Days: Kevin Sumlin audio and full transcript

8 of 12

COLLEGE STATION, TX – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Kevin Sumlin of the Texas A&M Aggies waits on the sideline in the second half of their game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field on October 8, 2016 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

Edward Aschoff, ESPN- “Kevin, I just wanted to know what your reaction was to Scott Woodward’s comments in Destin about needing to win more and what are the subsequent conversations between you two been like?”

"Sumlin – “Scott and I have known each other for a while, even before he came to Texas A&M. So, we’ve had a lot of conversations before that, some conversations after that. I’m not going to get into what those conversations are about but it’s you know, like i said. For me, my job, nothing changed for me. You’ve been around me a long time. Nobody puts more pressure on me than myself. And nobody wants to win more than I want to. And so whatever is said, whatever conversations were had, whatever is written, it’s not going to affect how I do my job. And it’s not going to affect my day to day operation. I’ve been doing this almost 30 years, and whether I was the wide receivers coach at Wyoming and Joe Tiller said if they don’t catch the ball you’re going to get fired and I was making $19,000 and was in a red, little Fiero, remember those things? You guys don’t remember those things, do you? They caught fire in the back and all that other stuff? There was as much pressure there just to survive as there is now. I’m just being honest with you. Like I told them, you better start catching the damn ball. It’s the same approach from my first year as a full time coach as there is now. And I’ve known this for a long time now, no matter what people say or what they do, nothing is going to change the way I approach life. I’ve known what’s at stake ever since I got in this.”"

I love this approach. Coach Sumlin treats every day like he may be fired the very next for not doing his job. It’s easy to forget on Saturdays that this man was coaching receivers at Wyoming not too long ago. He has risen up the ladder for a reason, and that drive he has should translate well on Saturdays.