By John Sarianides

Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward put head football coach Kevin Sumlin on notice on Tuesday when he told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum that “Coach Sumlin knows he has to win this year”

There was already pressure on Sumlin to win this upcoming season and now there is even more pressure on the sixth year coach to have a successful season or else face the prospect of being out of work. 

Sumlin has a career record of 44-21 at A&M but is only 21-19 in SEC play. He and his staff have done a terrific job in recruiting, landing some of the nation’s top prospects but it hasn’t paid off on the field.

Outside of the two years that Sumlin had Johnny Manziel at quarterback, A&M has been a .500 program under his watch. That is unacceptable considering the investment the school makes in football. Expectations are high in College Station. The administration, alumni and fans expect to compete for national championships, not second rate bowl games. 

Sumlin had a golden opportunity to build a powerhouse at A&M with Texas struggling in recent years but he failed to capitalize on that. Now his job is on the line and anything but a New Year’s Day Bowl and ten wins will not be enough to save it. 

Sumlin could go from being one of the hottest coaches in all of football three years ago to potentially being unemployed. That is how the cookie crumbles in the world of football.