Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman stepping down
A day after giving football coach Kevin Sumlin a public vote of confidence, Texas A&M athletic director Eric Hyman is leaving his post.
"I appreciate my time here at Texas A&M University and I am proud of our student-athletes' achievements both on the field and in the classroom," Hyman said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "The best part of an AD's job is forming wonderful relationships with student-athletes, colleagues, former students and Texas A&M has been no exception. I will always value my time here and the friendships I have made with Aggies. I wish Texas A&M University nothing but continued success."
Hyman was hired as Texas A&M's athletic director in the summer of 2012 from South Carolina. He was the athletic director for the Gamecocks since 2005. In his time at Texas A&M, the football program's popularity rose as Johnny Manziel won the 2012 Heisman Trophy and left for the NFL following the 2013 season. The success of the team and Manziel helped Texas A&M with a large fundraising effort to renovate Kyle Field. The near $500 million renovation was complete in time for the 2015 season.
On Monday, Hyman said no consideration had been given to making a football coaching change. A&M finished the season 8-5 after a loss in the Music City Bowl to Louisville. Quarterbacks Kyle Allen (Houston) and Kyler Murray (Oklahoma) announced their intentions to transfer before the bowl game. It's been a busy last six weeks in College Station.
“At no time have we ever thought about it and discussed it. That's about as clear as you can be,” Hyman told the Morning News. “We've got to be realistic here — if you look at what Kevin has accomplished in the four years he's been here from a historical standpoint, it's at the top. This is a brutal league. It's a 12-round boxing match every time you go out on a Saturday. It's good news-bad news. Good news it's the best league in the country. Bad news it's the best league in the country."
The football team did make coaching changes following the 2015 season, however. Jake Spavital is no longer the offensive coordinator. The OC change comes a season after the team hired LSU's John Chavis to be the defensive coordinator.
For more Texas A&M news, visit AggieYell.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
