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3 Best and 3 Worst Ideas for Next Texas A&M Football Coach

By Graham Harmon

Oct 1, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher walks off the field during halftime of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher walks off the field during halftime of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dan Lanning, a lead candidate for Texas A&M football
Oct 21, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks onto the field during the second half against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Good Idea for Texas A&M Football: Dan Lanning

I can say up front here that this option seems a bit dimmer after Lanning seeming to address the rumors head on at his presser last night. Billy Liucci of Texags had been reporting for quite a bit already that Lanning seemed like a candidate with too high of a barrier for the Aggie brass to overcome in order to get him here; however, Liucci had also mentioned several times that if the right guy was interested, Texas A&M could make it happen.

That said, this is about outlining who is a good idea and who is not, and Lanning—in my opinion—would be a great idea. I’ve outlined a couple of times the factors for this, but they bear repeating. Lanning is an elite recruiter—this was not only evident during his time at Georgia, but has continued at Oregon. He immediately injected a lot of life into the program up there at Oregon and is a top-tier motivator—just look at that video they put out before the Colorado game. He’s currently 19-4 in Eugene and firmly in the playoff hunt. He poached Marshall Malchow from the Aggies, who was their recruiting coordinator for that 2022 class, as the two are great friends.

Lanning would be a guy that checks a lot of boxes. I like that he is defensive minded but decisive as far as knowing what he needs in an OC. I like that he is familiar with the south and the recruiting landscape here. I like that he has played a prominent role in a huge SEC program and is now in the most prominent role at a big time program. This would be a step up in a lot of ways for Lanning; spotlight and stage, recruiting ability and advantages, and competition, but he seems like he’s ready for all that. It seems unlikely at the moment, but he would be a great fit here.