Texas A&M next coach odds: Could Deion Sanders become Aggies' next head coach?
It goes without saying that Deion Sanders' first season coaching at Colorado isn't going the way many thought it would. But does that mean he could be on the move and ready to coach another program so soon?
The rumor mill is currently in overdrive in the college football world now that Jimbo Fisher has been relieved of his duties at Texas A&M. That means that plenty of coaches across the league have been tapped to be his successor, even though they are currently employed at other schools.
Naturally, Coach Prime has been mentioned since the Buffs have lost four straight and are hanging at the bottom of the Pac-12 with a 4-6 record. But is he the current betting favorite to take over?
According to the oddsmakers over at SportsLine, Sanders is a 50-1 long shot at becoming the Aggies' next head coach. He currently shares those odds with Urban Meyer — who, if you've paid attention to football over the last few years, is probably better off sticking to his current TV gig than getting back into the coaching game.
Who is ahead of Sanders in the odds to be Texas A&M's next shot-caller?
University of Texas at Austin head coach Jeff Traylor is one of the current betting favorites to get the gig and is listed at 3-1 odds, as is Duke head coach Mike Elko. Elko is a particularly interesting pick given that he is a Texas native and was on Fisher's coaching staff at A&M before coaching the Blue Devils.
Other familiar names on the shortlist to be the Aggies' next HC include former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsberry (17-1) and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin (25-1.) Kiffin is certainly having a better season than Sanders with the Rebels sitting in second in the SEC West and 6-0 at home, but it isn't clear if he would be tempted to jump ship to take over at College Station.
It should be noted that hiring a new HC won't be easy for Texas A&M due to Fisher's contract buyout. As TexasFootball.com summarizes, the school "owes Fisher $76 million with 20% due within 30 days of termination and the rest to be paid annually for the next eight years." This probably has some impact on the long odds of Sanders getting the job — Prime will want a considerable payday.
We will just have to wait and see who takes over at Texas A&M, who host the Abilene Christian Wildcats next week before traveling to face LSU. The Aggies, by the way, are already a 9.5-point underdog at Action Network to beat the Tigers. Could they be an underdog to bet on now that someone other than Fisher will be calling the shots? Stay tuned.
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