John Lopez wrote and article on Texags that got picked up by ESPN about why A&M has fallen behind OU, LSU, and tu in football. Lopez's theory is that a lack of a "jock" major has kept us from competing with the big boys in recruiting. I know it was a major frustration of R.C. Slocum's that the only college who was open to admitting incoming football players who met NCAA admission standards but not A&M admission standards was the College of Agriculture. That is why you saw so many football players who majored in Ag Development. Try going into an inner-city household and convincing an elite athlete that Ag Development is more about leadership and management training than milking cows. A new major was created a couple of years ago, but Lopez claims this is what contributed to the downfall of Aggie football.

While I believe this was one contributing factor, I do not think it was the major one. The lack of a viable degree program for incoming football players did cost us two to three recruits per year. However, I think the biggest factor in our slide was Bob Stoops arriving in Norman. Mack Brown was already at tu but frankly there are enough recruits to split between the two schools. Also, most of the time Slocum and Brown did not go after the same type of player. Stoops and Slocum almost always targeted the same athletes, and with Stoops early success he took a lead on the recruiting front that he would never relinquish.

Other factors that contributed were we fell behind in facilities, hiring the worst coach in recent A&M history in Dennis Franchine, and the rise of LSU's program. Fran inherited the facilities that Slocum had been asking for, for the past ten years.  With those facilities, Slocum would have been able to compete on a more level playing field with tu and Mack Brown. That would have meant an extra 2-3 recruits per year which can really make a difference. Eventually we had the facilities, but we hired a buffoon to lead us and then retained him.

Fran is the worst coach in recent A&M history because not only did he destroy the current state of the program, he also left a scorched earth effect that would hamper the program for years after his departure. Fran completely failed to develop the talent he recruited to campus. The fastest the athletes ever were, was the day they arrived on campus. After four years in the program, they were slower, bulkier, and less flexible, but their bench press numbers were up which was all that mattered to Fran. Fran did not develop a good relationship with HS coaches. Sherman has had to spend a lot of time rebuilding the relationships that Fran destroyed with his aloof behavior. When you tell Robert Griffith that he is too small for the Big 12, how are the Copperas Cove HS coaches supposed to feel about A&M? That is what Sherman is having to deal with.

LSU was an average program from the late 80's until Nick Saban arrived. A&M used to be able to recruit East Texas with impunity. Once Saban arrived, that all changed. Saban shut down the borders of Louisiana and used the states many resources ($$$$$) to ensure that the top players did not leave the state for other programs. An excellent gameday coach, the combination of the elite Louisiana and East Texas talent  with Saban's coaching made LSU a power. When Saban won a MNC, a good number of Texas athletes began to consider leaving the state and playing for LSU. When Les Miles rode Saban's talent to another national title, LSU became a hot program for Texas recruits to go to.

You have Stoops taking the speed recruits A&M covets, East Texas recruiting shut down, and Fran turning every fast kid he does manage to bring onto campus into a turtle. Add to that, a guy in charge in Austin who could sell ice to Eskimos and it is not hard to see why the program has fallen off. Meanwhile, Tech has a tricked up offense that can score points by the bushel and makes it a consistent minor bowl player. OSU had an alum step up and try to buy its way into  becoming a major program and has had some success. KU and Mizzou found elite QBs amongst the recruiting leftovers from the state and solidified their programs. These have all contributed to A&M's slide.  

While I believe the Big 12 as a conference is down as far as quality of play, I think you see more consistent competition on a week to week basis than at any time in the conference's history. No one in this league played defense last year except for OU and tu on occasion. However, EVERYONE in this league has a couple of guys on offense who can score on anyone they are lining up across from on any given Saturday. That makes this the most competitive time in the conference's history. A&M has a huge hill to climb, but I think Sherman is the right man for the job and we will eventually climb it.