Texas A&M football experiences a Tennessee Vols moment with Mark Stoops | Toppmeyer

Texas A&M is having itself a Tennessee moment. Any minute, I’m half-expecting a former coach to rumble into the athletic director’s chair and hire Jeremy Pruitt.

The Aggies’ coaching search jumped the rails Saturday night after Rivals and 247Sports reported that Texas A&M was set to hire Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as its next coach. The backlash from Aggies fans was swift, and the media mostly panned the potential hire.

I can’t say the blowback reached the level of Tennessee in 2017, when fans took to the streets to protest the Vols’ plan to hire Greg Schiano. Donors, business owners and state politicians publicly opposed the Schiano hire.

The Schiano deal fell through, and Tennessee athletic director John Currie lost his job days later, tossed overboard in favor of Phillip Fulmer.

No one got fired at Texas A&M on Saturday. Stoops calmed the waters when he released a statement after midnight saying that despite being contacted this weekend about the job, he was staying at UK.

Aggies fans sighed in relief, but now what?

In my eyes, swapping Jimbo Fisher for Stoops would’ve been a downgrade – and one that cost a $77 million buyout to implement. In fact, when I compiled my preseason SEC coach rankings last July, I listed Fisher at No. 8 and Stoops at No. 9.

Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork recently said Texas A&M “is not an 8-4 job.” So, his plan was to hire a coach who has mastered finishing 7-5?

In Fisher, the Aggies fired a coach past his prime. Stoops’ peak occurred in 2018.

Stoops staying at Kentucky is good news for the Wildcats. He’s Kentucky’s best coach since Bear Bryant, who coincidentally left UK in 1954 for the Texas A&M job. At A&M, Stoops would have enjoyed more resources and a more fertile recruiting base than he can ever hope to have at Kentucky. He’d also have faced a significantly tougher schedule, though.

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My biggest issue with a Stoops hire would have been that he suffers from some of the same offensive deficiencies that hampered Fisher. The next quality college quarterback Stoops develops will be his first. Stoops squandered Will Levis, who became a second-round NFL Draft pick in spite of his Kentucky career, not because of it.

A lack of quarterback star power has been chief among the factors holding back the Aggies for decades. They won 20 games in Johnny Manziel's two seasons as starter. Otherwise, the Aggies have long suffered through a series of mundane quarterbacks.

Stoops isn’t the answer to that problem, and I think he’d miss the annual cupcake feast he enjoys at Kentucky.

The Aggies still need a coach, though.

After Vols fans stopped the Schiano deal, Fulmer’s hire became the worst coach in program history.

The Aggies have much to look forward to.

Mississippi State hiring Jeff Lebby? Shrug.

While the Stoops news made waves Saturday night, a Yahoo! Sports report that Mississippi State was targeting Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as its next coach caused barely a ripple.

That sums up how I feel about the Lebby hire, which MSU announced Sunday. This is a shrug-of-the-shoulders move – one that I doubt causes Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin much concern.

Lebby was once Kiffin’s caddie. He coordinated the Ole Miss offense from 2020-21. Lebby also worked for Art Briles and Josh Heupel.

Lebby runs the same system that Ole Miss and Tennessee use. Instead of zigging where others zag, MSU will be zagging like the Rebels and Vols but doing so with a lower level of talent. That’s a difficult path to success, but as far as coordinators go, Lebby is proven. The Bulldogs at least would be more exciting on offense than they were in their lone season under Zach Arnett.

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MSU ranks among the SEC’s toughest jobs, and I think previous head coaching experience is especially valuable to anyone who sits in that chair. On the other hand, Dan Mullen became the best coach in MSU history despite not having been a head coach before.

Best line I heard this week

Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News, from the Auburn press box: “Anyone seen any coffee around here?”

Another reporter laughs, then responds: “You think they have coffee? They barely gave us food.”

(For context, Auburn provided the press covering the Iron Bowl with one of the bleakest pregame meals I’ve ever had the misfortune of consuming.)

Three and out

1. For years, fans have accused the folks in the SEC office in Birmingham from suffering from a Bama Bias, but I think the SEC’s brass will quietly pull for No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship. If No. 8 Alabama upsets the Bulldogs in Atlanta, it could result in the SEC being shut out of the College Football Playoff. I don’t think it will come to that. My playoff field prediction: 1. Georgia. 2. Michigan. 3. Oregon. 4. Florida State

2. Arkansas chose the long, arduous path of waiting until 2024 to (probably) fire Sam Pittman so it could save several-million dollars in buyout money. All the while, its fan base boils. Florida fans have grown tired of Billy Napier, but UF also chose frugality and the scenic route to what I suspect will end in Napier’s firing next year. And Vanderbilt? Clark Lea went 2-10 in his third season, and the only sound you’ll hear out of Nashville is a jackhammer from the construction site otherwise known as FirstBank Stadium.

3. One of the final coaching candidates Currie considered in 2017 before Tennessee fired him was North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren. He’s won 34 games the past four seasons. By the end of the Aggies’ search, Doeren might look pretty good.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

The "Topp Rope" is his twice-weekly SEC football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to allof it. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfilterednewsletter.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Texas A&M football experiences a Tennessee Vols moment with Mark Stoops