Should Texas A&M Football Retain Elijah Robinson as Full-Time HC?

Should Texas A&M Football Remove Robinson’s Interim Tag?

As rumors continue to swirl around who may be getting a hard look for the Texas A&M football job, the guys inside the building are continuing to prepare for the final two games of the season. This week brings an easy win in a buy game against Abilene Christian—always a nice opportunity for the seniors on their final game in Kyle Field—but it’s the final game of the year against a top-20 LSU squad on the road that is of chief concern for the Aggies. Leading them is interim coach Elijah Robinson, formerly an associate HC, DL coach, and co-DC for Texas A&M football.

Robinson is one of the most highly-thought-of assistants in the nation when it comes to his ability to recruit; just look at the defensive line position under his watch at Texas A&M. Though less has been made of his tactical skills thus far, his position group is one of the most productive on this year’s Aggie squad. As discussed in the article I wrote announcing he was named interim, moving him to this position was a savvy maneuver by AD Ross Bjork, as Robinson is one of the most beloved coaches on staff by all the players, not just his own position group.

So could it be that the answer to the big question that Texas A&M football is asking is right in the building at this very moment? It certainly could be. Robinson has all the makings of what you would need in at least a CEO-type coach: ace recruiter, beloved by players, tons of experience at a high level, etc. There has been no shortage of comparisons made between he and Ed Orgeron, likely because the latter was a former DL coach also named interim when his head man was dismissed. Orgeron obviously had been a head coach previously at Ole Miss, but there are a lot of parallels between his and Robinson’s trajectory otherwise.

I’ve written several times that retaining Robinson should be priority number one for whoever is hired; what better way to ensure the man stays around than to give him the HC job? It would certainly aid in making sure recruiting momentum stays on track—and we all know that recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. Robinson has already begun to win over many Aggie fans who were previously only familiar with his name with things like his presser on Monday and radio show last night.

There are a lot of worse ideas out there than retaining Robinson. Though he may not be my top choice for the head job at the moment (like that’s ever mattered anyway), this is certainly an intriguing possibility. Giving Robinson the reins as head man of Texas A&M football keeps the ceiling of the program high, but the floor is undefined because he’s just such an unknown at this point. It’s something every Aggie fan should be keeping in the back of their mind, however; especially if A&M ends up triumphing in Baton Rouge on November 25.