Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin pledged his continued loyalty to the school by signing a six-year contract. That loyalty, however, may have come only after Sumlin failed to convince USC to hire him as its head coach.
The website Rumors and Rants reported that Sumlin had been pushing hard to get the Trojans job as soon as USC athletic director Pat Haden fired Lane Kiffin in September.
The site reported that USC contacted Sumlin's representatives to indicate that he was on their list of potential candidates for the job and that he sent word back that he wanted the job.
According to Rumors and Rants, Sumlin sent a message to Haden through his representatives that he would accept the job as long as he was the Trojans' only candidate. He didn't want to apply for the job and not get it because of the effect of his relationship with Texas A&M and the effect his candidacy might have on his ability to recruit to A&M.
Rumors and Rants went on to say that USC "made it clear" to Sumlin that he was on a list of five to seven candidates for the position but that he had to interview before the Trojans would consider moving him to the top of their list.
Sumlin didn't want to interview during the season for fear of a leak. The website reported that the two sides agreed to meet at a neutral location as soon as the regular season was over. That meeting was supposed to take place on Sunday.
Haden, however, insisted on talking to other candidates. Rumors and Rants added that Sumlin was not the leading candidate because USC didn't have one.
As the USC search went along, some school officials cooled on him but still wanted Haden to interview him, the report said.
According to Rumors and Rants, Sumlin's representatives contacted USC to cancel Sunday's meeting and asked to remove Sumlin from consideration because he was going to remain at Texas A&M and sign an extension.
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