Texas A&M has seen its program rise back to prominence under head coach Kevin Sumlin. The Aggies have been tearing it up on the recruiting trail the last two seasons, so we have to wonder-what makes Sumlin such an effective recruiter?
In a recent interview with Prep Force, 2015 prospect Christian Kirk called Sumlin a “likeable guy” and said “he’s going to give it to you real.”
The perception of Sumlin as a down-to-earth guy isn’t just Kirk’s opinion though. Daylon Mack, a 5-star 2015 prospect, had this to say about him. “He brought a new type of swag to the team, and he brought a winning attitude to the program.” Mack also added in the interview with us that “Coach Sumlin acts young, and recruits really take to that.”
Sumlin is bringing the “swag” and attitude to college football that really relates to these young athletes. There are some older coaches who may not even know what Twitter is, but meanwhile Sumlin is up to over 2,000 tweets on his account. Sumlin is popular for his #YESSIR! tweet, acknowledging that the Aggies have landed another verbal commitment.
What is the former University of Houston coach doing when he’s not tweeting? Sitting ringside with famous musician Usher Raymond at UFC matches of course.
All of this adds up and while it may seem irrelevant to recruiting, it is becoming a major factor. The times have changed and sometimes a traditional phone call may not cut it anymore.
At the end of the day, Sumlin is recruiting so well for reasons other than Twitter and his “swag”. He’s winning games and putting A&M back on the national map.
In two seasons with the Aggies, he is 20-6 and in 2012 he took home the SEC Coach of the Year award.
He has a huge advantage when it comes to recruiting because Texas is among the biggest pipelines of football talent in the nation. Charlie Strong is making a big push for recruits in Texas now, but Sumlin can offer them something Strong can’t, which is the chance to play in the SEC.
The SEC is by far the best conference in college football right now from top to bottom, and recruits want to play in that conference.
All in all, Sumlin is continuing to improve his 2015 recruiting class. He just recently picked up a commitment from DaMarkus Lodge, who came out at No.14 in our 2015 High School Football Player Rankings.
His swagger, his confidence, his winning attitude, his likeable personality, and the ability to sell the SEC has proved to be very much in the favor of the Aggies and Coach Sumlin the last couple of years.