Nine things to know about new Arizona football coach Kevin Sumlin

Jan 15, 2018, 5:40 AM | Updated: 8:35 am

(AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)

ArizonaSports.com lead editor

Kevin Sumlin is in as the Arizona Wildcats’ replacement of Rich Rodriguez.

The former Texas A&M and Houston head coach inherits a team with a young but talented collection of defensive talent and quarterback Khalil Tate, who could challenge for Heisman votes if the Wildcats win games in 2018.

Sumlin, 53, played linebacker at Purdue, but he’s since made a name for himself as a recruiting guru and offensive innovator.

Here are a few quick facts about his lengthy resume and path to Arizona.

1. Historic hire, and a parallel: Sumlin was born in Brewton, Ala., a town of just more than 5,400 people as of the 2010 census. Also from Brewton: Fred Snowden, who in 1972 was hired and became Arizona basketball’s first African-American head coach in the school’s history. Snowden was also considered the first African-American basketball coach hired by a Division I school. Sumlin, on the eve of Martin Luther King. Jr. Day this Sunday, became the first African-American coach to lead Arizona’s football program.

2. The beginning of the end: Already on the hot seat for three 8-5 seasons in a row heading into 2017, Sumlin’s Aggies blew a 34-point lead in the season opener against a UCLA team that would go on to close 6-7 on the year. A school board member posted a Facebook rant that called for Sumlin’s job, and a 7-5 regular season would all but seal Sumlin’s fate. He is owed a buyout reportedly worth more than $10 million, per SB Nation.

3. Know the Swagcopter: Sumlin became well-known for recruiting with the help of the Swagcopter, a booster-owned helicopter that made quite the appearance when dropping the Texas A&M coach into high school football games.

Kevin Sumlin and the "Swagcopter" just landed at Pearland-Manvel game. #TAMU pic.twitter.com/aGIKwwmyYR

— Brian Perroni (@Perroni247) September 10, 2016

4. Arizona ties: Sumlin’s recruiting classes heavily leaned on Texas pipelines, but he isn’t unfamiliar with Arizona. Sumlin’s coaching staffs landed four-star receiver Christian Kirk in 2015 after the Scottsdale Saguaro High School product broke a long list of state records. A year prior, the second-ranked recruit in Texas A&M’s class was Desert Mountain quarterback Kyle Allen, a five-star recruit. Defensive end Qualen Cunningham out of Hamilton High School in Chandler was also in that class.

5. Yes, recruiting is his thing: Sumlin’s recruiting classes nationally ranked 13th in 2017, 18th in 2016, 11th in 2015, fifth in 2014, ninth in 2013 and 16th in 2012, per 247 Sports.

6. Keeping them around: Retaining commitments, among other problems, wasn’t Sumlin’s strong suit. Allen was among the quarterback transfers. He left for Houston, while two-year Aggie Kenny Hill played as TCU’s starting quarterback the past two seasons. Another quarterback, Kyler Murray, saw limited playing time at Oklahoma this year as Heisman winner Baker Mayfield’s backup.

7. Working with big names: As a graduate assistant for Washington State in 1990, Sumlin coached soon-to-be NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe under coach Mike Price. Back with his alma mater from 1998–2000, he was wide receivers coach and watched Drew Brees throw to his position group. At Oklahoma, Sumlin was on coaching staffs that had Heisman winner Jason White (2003), and later watched Adrian Peterson and Sam Bradford win in Norman. He coached 2012 Heisman winner Johnny Manziel in his first year at A&M and prior to that Houston’s Case Keenum, who was starting Sunday for the Minnesota Vikings against Brees in an NFC Divisional Round game Sunday.

8. Grooming NFL talent: Under Sumlin’s leadership, the Aggies have produced a number of NFL draft picks, including four top-10 overall picks. Among the notable Texas A&M players drafted who played for Sumlin: DE Myles Garrett (2017, first overall), OT Luke Joeckel (2013, second overall), OT Jake Matthews (2014, sixth overall), WR Mike Evans (2014, seventh overall), and QB Johnny Manziel (2014, 22nd overall).

9. An Arizona hoops connection: Sumlin coached tight end Fendi Onobun at Houston in 2009. Onobun, who played basketball at Arizona for coach Lute Olson for four years, became a sixth-round NFL Draft pick and spent four years playing for seven different NFL teams.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

2012-17: Texas A&M (Head Coach)

2008-11: Houston (Head Coach)

2006-07: Oklahoma (Co-OC/WRs)

2003-05: Oklahoma (STC/TEs)

2002: Texas A&M (Asst. HC/OC/WRs)

2001: Texas A&M (Asst. HC/WRs)

1998-00: Purdue (Asst. Coach/WRs)

1997: Minnesota (Asst. Coach/QBs)

1993-96: Minnesota (Asst. Coach/WRs)

1991-92: Wyoming (Asst. Coach/WRs)

1989-90: Washington State (GA Coach)