Texas A&M's Sumlin: I couldn't beat Chavis so I hired him
Texas A&M's hiring of defensive coordinator John Chavis away from LSU was one of the biggest assistant coaching moves of the offseason. The Aggies have struggled defensively at times under Kevin Sumlin, and on the other side of the ball, they've gotten an up-close view of Chavis' genius, as their dynamic offense has been held under 20 points in three straight losses to the Tigers since moving to the SEC.
With that in mind, a reporter at SEC Media Days on Tuesday asked Sumlin if, going into the offseason, he "took the mindset of, 'If we can't beat LSU with John Chavis, maybe I'll go hire him away?'"
Sumlin was straightforward and succinct in his response.
"Not 'didn't kind of' -- that's exactly what I did," Sumlin said to some laughter from the gathered press. "There's really nothing more to the answer than that."
Sumlin did expand on that answer, though, and talked briefly about his discussions with Chavis before the hiring; watch the video below to see his full response.
Image credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
