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Aggies complete coaching staff overhaul with three hires
A&M announced today that it has made its final three hires to complete its football coaching staff reshuffling. The Aggies hired former linebacker great Dat Nguyen to coach inside linebackers, former offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe to coach wide receivers and Nick Toth of The Citadel to coach outside linebackers.
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A&M-OSU game moved to Thursday, Sept. 30
A&M has announced that its football game at Oklahoma State this fall, originally scheduled for Oct. 2, will be moved to Thursday night, Sept. 30, and be carried by ESPN. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. Other than the traditional Thanksgiving game against Texas, A&M’s last Thursday night game was in 2007 at Miami.
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Aggies’ Cromwell leaves for St. Louis Rams
As expected, A&M offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Nolan Cromwell (right) has left to take a job coaching wide receivers for the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, the Aggies announced today.
Cromwell had spent his entire coaching career in the NFL before joining head coach Mike Sherman’s staff at A&M last season. While Cromwell held the title of offensive coordinator for the Aggies, Sherman did much of the play-calling.
Sherman alluded to that in a statement wishing Cromwell well:
“I appreciate the passion, energy and work ethic Nolan Cromwell brought to us over these last two years. You can also add patience, since it is not easy being an offensive coordinator under an offensive head coach.”
Cromwell’s departure adds to the staff reshuffling Sherman is dealing with heading into his third season as coach.
In addition to hiring Tim DeRuyter as defensive coordinator and Terrell Williams as defensive line coach, Sherman must hire a linebackers coach and perhaps a safeties coach to replace Van Malone. He also must replace Cromwell’s post with the receivers, and reports are that former A&M offensive coordinator and Tulsa and Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe is a candidate.
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A&M men named ESPN’s team of the week
After ending Missouri’s 32-game home winning streak and then rallying to beat No. 20 Baylor, A&M men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon proclaimed it had been “an unbelievable week for our progam.”
ESPN agrees.
The Aggies were named ESPN’s team of the week. In his weekly notebook, Andy Katz calls the Aggies “one of the toughest outs in the (Big 12) conference.”
Katz also had this to say:
“The overall 17-6 record is pointing toward a solid NCAA seed yet again. And I wouldn’t be shocked if the Aggies were to give Kansas and Texas losses in College Station.”
A&M gets the week off before a Saturday game at dangerous Texas Tech.
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Dat returning to A&M?
Chances are good that legendary Aggies linebacker Dat Nguyen will return to his alma mater to coach linebackers, one of several coaching changes possibly in the mix at A&M, according to a source within the athletic department.
The source also said it’s expected that new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter will coach safeties, and that Van Malone, who has coached safeties at A&M the past two seasons after two years as cornerbacks coach, is exploring options in both college and the NFL. Also, the source said that offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell might leave to return to the NFL, where he’d spent his entire coaching career before going to A&M in 2008.
Nguyen, the Aggies’ career tackles leader who won the Lombardi and Bednarik Awards in 1998, has spent the past three years as an assistant linebackers coach and defensive quality control coach for the Dallas Cowboys, the team he played for during his entire pro career.
Nguyen resigned in late January to pursue other coaching opportunities.
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Alexander’s ‘uncommon drive’
Nice story in today’s Sports section on Daniel Alexander, the Dripping Springs basketball star whose dad is a diehard Longhorns fan, whose mom is a Texas graduate and who’s a friend of Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert — but signed to play for Texas A&M anyway.
He’s the 8th-ranked high school basketball prospect in the state, a 6-foot-8 who’s averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds a game.
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A monstrous slamma jamma by A&M’s Turner
The Aggies’ got a huge 77-74 victory at Missouri Wednesday night, snapping the Tigers’ 32-game home winning streak, and the game turned on this play by Ray Turner.
With A&M clinging to a precarious 56-55 lead with 5.5 minutes left, Turner, a 6-8 freshman from Houston, stole the ball from Mizzou’s Laurence Bowers, drove the court and, well … watch the video.
The Aggies, who had trailed by 11 points with 14.5 minutes left, built their lead from there, although the Tigers got close in the waning seconds.
It doesn’t get any easier for A&M from here on out. Saturday the Aggies play host to No. 20 Baylor at 3 p.m. before playing three of their next five on the road at Texas Tech, Iowa State and Baylor.
Their two home games in that stretch? No. 1 Kansas on Feb. 15 and No. 9 Texas on Feb. 27.
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A&M recruiting class staggers to finish line
The Aggies’ recruiting class, ranked in the top 10 nationally by many major services, took a huge blow in the final 36 hours when two of A&M’s top commitments signed with other schools.
Linebacker Corey Nelson of Dallas Skyline, the headliner of the class, stunned the Aggies by signing with Oklahoma. Nelson is regarded as one of the top prospects in the nation and had reaffirmed his commitment to A&M just a few days ago.
On Tuesday, wide receiver-return man Jarrett Fobbs of Shreveport, La., a longtime commitment, switched to LSU.
Despite the 11th-hour disappointments, it’s still a good class for A&M in terms of need. The Aggies signed a stellar group of offensive linemen led by Jake Matthews and Luke Joeckel, and also added several much-needed defensive linemen.
But the losses of Fobbs and Nelson, especially the latter, definitely put a damper on the day.
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A&M names Williams as defensive line coach
OK, it’s official now. The Aggies announced this morning that Terrell Williams has been hired from Purdue to coach the Aggies’ defensive line — pending the expected approval of A&M’s regents.
Williams replaces Buddy Wyatt, who left to become the D-line coach at Kansas.
The 35-year-old Williams, a native of Los Angeles who graduated from East Carolina University, is the first defensive coaching hire under new coordinator Tim DeRuyter. It’s not clear what other changes to the defensive staff might be forthcoming.
Williams coached defensive linemen at Purdue for the past four seasons. He was responsible for the entire line for three years, and spent 2008 concentrating on defensive ends.
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D-line coaching announcement coming
Update: No official announcement today. Will likely happen Tuesday.
Expect the Aggies to announce this afternoon that they’ve hired Purdue’s Terrell Williams (right) to be their new defensive line coach.
Williams will replace Buddy Wyatt, who left to take a similar job on the Kansas staff of Jayhawks’ new coach Turner Gill.
Williams, 35, coached at Purdue for four years. He coached the entire defensive line for three of those seasons and spent 2008 with the defensive ends. Among the players he’s tutored is Anthony Spencer of the Dallas Cowboys, who led the nation with 26.5 tackles behind the line as a senior before being taken by Dallas in the first round of the 2007 draft.
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Where Dat?
With Wrecking Crew linebacking legend Dat Nguyen (right) departing the Dallas Cowboys after three seasons as their assistant linebackers and defensive quality control coach, there is speculation about him returning to his alma mater as a member of new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s coaching staff.
However, from what I’m hearing, it shouldn’t come as a shock if Dat winds up on the staff at the University of Georgia. Remember, the Bulldogs recently hired former Cowboys’ defensive line coach Todd Grantham as their new defensive coordinator. Georgia needs a linebackers coach, so we’ll see how this plays out.
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DeRuyter introduced to the hoops crowd
Just before the start of the second half of the Aggies’ basketball game, new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter was introduced to the Reed Arena crowd.
In a halftime press conference, DeRuyter said his top priority is hiring a defensive line coach and that two candidates are coming into College Station today.
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The deal is done with DeRuyter
The Aggies have their new defensive coordinator, officially announcing this afternoon that Tim DeRuyter from the Air Force Academy will replace the retired Joe Kines.
A&M’s regents approved a three-year contract for DeRuyter (pronounced da-ROOT-er) that will pay him $400,000 the first year, $425,000 the second and $450,000 the third.
“This is a great opportunity for me,” DeRuyter, a 1985 Air Force graduate, said in a statement. “I tried hard to find a chink in the armor in something related to Texas A&M or coach Sherman, but I could not find it.”
DeRuyter, 47, is believed to have been Sherman’s No. 1 target from virtually the start of his search for Kines’ replacement. Although Sherman talked to numerous possible candidates, only DeRuyter and Boise State’s Justin Wilcox, visited the A&M campus.
DeRuyter plays an aggressive 3-4 defense that Sherman likes. DeRuyter learned much of the defense from Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, but the basic tenets of the attacking defense are similar to those used by A&M’s defense in its “Wrecking Crew” heyday.
“I like his aggressive, attacking style of defense,” Sherman said in a statement.
Added DeRuyter, who is expected to be in College Station today to meet recruits and begin putting together his staff: “As a defensive player at Air Force and being a defensive coach, I have tried to emulate the ‘Wrecking Crew’ style that R.C. Slocum had in place at A&M. As a defense, we like to dictate to the offense and put them back on their heels.”
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Even the guv is interested in the coaching search
So I’m sitting at my desk this morning, my nose buried in the computer screen as I do important sportswriter stuff, and I hear a voice from a few feet away asking me if A&M has hired its new defensive coordinator yet.
Have been getting that question a lot lately. “Not yet, coach,” I automatically reply before looking up. When I do, I see the voice belongs not to a coach but a former Aggie yell leader. Gov. Rick Perry must have made a special trip to the newsroom just to ask about coach Mike Sherman’s long-awaited hire.
Yeah, I’m sure that’s why he was here, and that it had nothing to do with his interview with our capitol bureau chief Jason Embry.
When I floated that theory by Perry, he didn’t deny it. “Well,” he said with a chuckle, “I obviously have an interest.”
By the way, the A&M regents are meeting today, and approving the contract for the new coordinator in executive session is on the agenda. Later this afternoon the formal announcement should come that Tim DeRuyter is on board.
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Aggies to hire Air Force defensive coordinator
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M is expected to announce Thursday that Air Force’s Tim DeRuyter will become the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator, according to sources at both schools.
A source within the A&M athletic program said Tuesday that A&M coaches expect DeRuyter to become the successor to Joe Kines, who retired after this past season. The Colorado Springs Gazette also reported that DeRuyter was bound for A&M, citing an unnamed source.
The formal announcement should come after a regularly scheduled meeting of A&M’s Board of Regents on Thursday.
Here The Gazette’s story about DeRuyter.
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Is that smoke coming from the chimney at A&M?
Not yet, but the logs are ready to be lit in the fireplace and an announcement on the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator appears imminent.
When the announcement does come, hopefully today to preserve what’s left of the sanity of A&M fans who have been following this process religiously and with growing impatience, expect to hear that Air Force’s Tim DeRuyter is the successor to retired Joe Kines. If it’s not DeRuyter, there are going to be a lot of stunned people.
One athletic department staffer said he is “hopeful from the buzz” that an announcement is forthcoming, but has yet to hear official word from inside the football offices that the deal is formally done. Stay tuned.
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Fuller, McQueen arrested on misdemeanor alcohol-related charges
Standout wide receiver Jeff Fuller and former walk-on defensive back Justin McQueen were arrested Jan. 2 on misdemeanor alcohol-related charges in Fuller’s North Texas hometown of Allen, according to documents obtained from the Allen Police Department.
Fuller, 19, was charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by McQueen, who was charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor, after their car was stopped at 3:18 a.m., according to police. McQueen completed his eligibility after the 2009 season.
No comment yet from A&M officials.
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Source: DeRuyter likely to be new A&M D-coordinator
Update: The Idaho Statesman newspaper in Boise is reporting that Justin Wilcox will remain at Boise State.
A source within the A&M athletic department says indications are extremely strong that Air Force’s Tim DeRuyter (right) will be named the Aggies’ new defensive coordinator, perhaps as early as Friday.
DeRuyter, who initially interviewed with A&M coach Mike Sherman earlier this week at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, visited the A&M campus today and met with the current Aggies’ coaching staff.
An A&M spokesman said no press conference has been scheduled.
DeRuyter and Boise State coordinator Justin Wilcox are the only two candidates who have visited A&M. The source said Sherman had a formal interview with Marshall’s Rick Minter in Orlando, and also has had casual conversations with several NFL assistant coaches to gauge their interest, but DeRuyter and Wilcox were the two leading candidates.
Earlier today, the Aggies’ chances of perhaps landing DeRuyter appeared in jeopardy when Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun was considered a strong candidate for the Tennessee job. It was thought DeRuyter might either replace Calhoun as the head coach at Air Force, his alma mater, or accompany Calhoun to Tennessee. But Calhoun issued a statement this afternoon that he will remain at Air Force.
DeRuyter, 47, led a defense that ranked 11th nationally this season in total yards (288.31) and points (15.69) allowed per game. Air Force held Houston’s second-ranked scoring offense to a season-low 20 points in the Falcons’ victory over the Cougars in the Armed Forces Bowl.
DeRuyter, a devotee of the 3-4 defense that Sherman prefers, has coached for 19 years at the Division I-A level, with stints at Navy, Ohio University and Nevada before returning to the Air Force, where he graduated in 1985. He has been the defensive coordinator for the Falcons for the past three years.
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A&M related: Troy Calhoun staying at Air Force
If you’ve been following the Aggies’ search for a defensive coordinator, you know this is significant.
Calhoun, the Air Force head coach, was regarded as a prime candidate to replace Lane Kiffin at Tennessee. If that had happened, AFA defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who reportedly is in College Station today after interviewing earlier in the week for the A&M d-coordinator job at the coaches’ convention in Orlando, would have been a serious possibility to take Calhoun’s place as head coach at the Academy.
But Calhoun just issued a statement that he’s remaining at Air Force. So DeRuyter remains a viable candidate for the Aggies. Stay tuned for further developments.
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Von Miller staying
The Aggies just announced that Von Miller will return for his senior season.
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Source: Boise State’s Wilcox to interview at A&M
A source within the A&M athletic department confirms that Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox (right) will interview either tonight or tomorrow for the Aggies’ defensive coordinator opening.
Wilcox and Tim DeRuyter of the Air Force Academy are believed to be the frontrunners for A&M job. DeRuyter reportedly interviewed at the this week’s American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, Fla. A website, footballcoachscoop.com, also has reported that Marshall defensive coordinator Rick Minter has interviewed.
Wilcox, 33, is regarded as one of college football’s top young defensive minds. A 1999 graduate of Oregon, he just completed his fourth year as Boise State’s defensive coordinator. This season the Broncos ranked 14th nationally in total yards allowed (300.21) and points allowed (17.14).
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Randy, any Aggies heading to the NFL Combine next week? Is that by invitation or is it an open tryout.
Gig ‘em
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JoeSay:
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... read the full comment by OrangeBevo | Comment on Aggies complete coaching staff overhaul with three hires Read Aggies complete coaching staff overhaul with three hires
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... read the full comment by jose | Comment on Aggies complete coaching staff overhaul with three hires Read Aggies complete coaching staff overhaul with three hires
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