Mac Engel: Texas A&M losing another high profile head coach says something is amiss

Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Apr 3, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas A&M completed the rare athletic department grand slam on Tuesday when the last of its highest profile employees left the premises in less than two years, the final three from their own ambition.

— Nov. 12, 2023: Football coach Jimbo Fisher is fired.

— Jan. 16, 2024: Athletic director Ross Bjork leaves Texas A&M for the same position at Ohio State.

— June 25, 2024: The day after losing the finale of the College Baseball World Series, coach Jim Schlossnagle leaves A&M to become the head coach at the University of Texas.

— April 1, 2025: A week after losing in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams leaves A&M to become the head coach at the University of Maryland.

All of these departures have fueled speculation that Reveille X is in the transfer kennel.

When Villanova fired Kyle Neptune on March 15 it started the annual job-swap in major college basketball as that transfer portal is open 24/7. Nova hired Maryland’s Kevin Willard, and Buzz’s agent made it known his guy was available.

Firing Jimbo is one thing, but to lose Schloss’ and Buzz in less than a year to other power four schools is an indictment on the state of your athletic department, and its athletic director; in this case, Trev Alberts. These departures suggest there are alignment issues within the A&M athletic department, the administration, alums and fans.

In March of 2024, A&M hired Alberts away from his alma mater, Nebraska, to at least correct the considerable financial state created by the Jimbo contract, a buyout of $77.5 million. As much as school officials insisted there would be no major changes necessary to fund that buyout, there were some budget modifications that left some people marooned-face and/or unemployed. That’s not a coincidence.

Sometimes there is nothing an AD can do to prevent a coach from leaving. It’s doubtful there was much Alberts could have done to stop Schlossnagle from heading to Austin.

During his introductory press conference last summer at Texas, Schlossnagle specifically said one of the reasons that he took the UT job was his relationship with its athletic director, Chris Del Conte. That’s not a shot at Alberts, but it’s a direct hit.

If the coach is winning, and in demand, a big part of the AD’s job description is to keep that person around.

Buzz’s departure to Maryland is rooted 1 of 3 explanations:

— 1.) Buzz is a coach who can’t be at one place too long

When A&M hired Buzz in 2019, it was a coup to land the coach who had successful runs at both Marquette (2008-2014) and Virginia Tech (2014-2019).

In six years at A&M, he steadily improved the state of the team to where it made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, the second-longest streak in school history. The only longer streak was 2006 to 2011, when the head coaches were Billy Gillispie and Mark Turgeon.

Buzz may have bolted to scratch the itch again.

— 2.) He’s coaching basketball at a football-first school.

After a solid four-year tenure in College Station when the team made the NCAA Tournament every season, Turgeon left Texas A&M in 2011 to become the head coach at ... the University of Maryland.

As Shelby Metcalf, Tony Barone, Melvin Watkins, Gillispie, Turgeon and Billy Kennedy will all tell you, coaching basketball at Texas A&M is a tough sell. Reed Arena is a nice facility, but the level of support from the fans and community doesn’t do much to help the job.

All coaches are salesman, but the basketball coach at Texas A&M can often feel like Willie Loman.

Throw in the new need for real NIL dollars to offer top talent, and a harder job is that much more difficult. The Aggies would vote Democrat to attract football players. Those same Aggies are more inclined to sell some used Toyotas for basketball players.

Buzz is going to a place that won a national title in 2002 under coach Gary Williams. Maryland out of the Big 10 is trying like hell to win in football, but its national sports reputation is basketball.

Whereas Buzz was secondary in College Station he will be the priority in College Park.

— 3.) He was tired of A&M

For some, like former Texas A&M football coach R.C. Slocum, they love all things Aggie like family. For others, they learn they’re just the weird uncle at Thanksgiving dinner who doesn’t “get it.”

Texas A&M has its own traditions, beats and rhythms and, while it is beloved by those who attended the school, it is also not for everyone.

The exits of the four highest profile members of the athletic department staff in less than two years says something is off within that department. The morale at the moment in Aggieland is not great.

There is alignment issue with the Aggies, and it’s Trev Alberts’ job to fix it.

____