Former Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin Lands New Gig

Kevin Sumlin is back on the sidelines as a football head coach.

Not for Texas A&M, but for a team he donned the headset for once before, the Houston Gamblers of the United Football League (UFL).

The Gamblers made the announcement official via their X page Wednesday afternoon.

Kevin Sumlin Returning As Head Coach of Houston Gamblers

Sumlin had previously served as the head coach of the team during the inaugural season of what was then known as the United States Football League (USFL), before it merged with the XFL to form what is now the UFL.

Kevin Sumlin Texas A&M Aggies Football — Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

His lone season in charge was not a memorable one, as the team went 3-7 and was nowhere near close to making the playoffs.

Sumlin played as a linebacker for the Purdue Boilermakers and went undrafted in the 1987 NFL draft, going into coaching shortly after, and in 2001, would join Texas A&M as a coach for the first time, serving as the assistant head coach as well as the wide receivers coach.

The coach would stay in College Station for the 2002 season with the same roles, while also handling offensive coordinator duties before heading north to Norman, Oklahoma, holding various jobs with the Sooners before landing his first head coaching gig with the Houston Cougars in the 2008 season.

Sumlin saw a good chunk of success in H-Town, compiling a 35-17 record (24-8 conference) during his years, including a 12-1 record in 2011, leading the Cougars to a ranking of 18th in the AP Top 25 thanks to the play of quarterback Case Keenum.

In 2012, Sumlin would return to College Station to man the head coaching duties, relieving Mike Sherman.

His first season as the Aggies' head coach was truly a magical one, the Maroon and White going 11-2 thanks to the play of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, securing Texas A&M No. 5 in the ranks and leading them to a dominant 41-13 win over his old buddies from Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

After the 2013 season, which saw the Aggies finish 9-4 with a comeback win over the Duke Blue Devils in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, the team would then go through three straight 8-5 seasons, and he was fired midway through the 2017 season.

Sumlin would then take a head coaching tenure with the Arizona Wildcats, spending two full seasons with the team before being fired in the midst of a 2020 season that saw the team start 0-5.