Texas A&M Coach Bucky McMillan Set to Reunite With Former Program in Interesting Way

On Saturday, the 1-10 Samford Bulldogs are set to march into one of the cathedrals of college football and take on the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies.

This game is a bit personal for the Bulldogs, given the Aggies just poached the crown jewel of their athletic program, basketball coach Bucky McMillan.

As both teams prepare for Saturday’s matchup, McMillan gave his thoughts on the outcome.

Bucky McMillan is An Aggie Through and Through

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko celebrates after the game against Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

McMillan is well-versed on SEC football, growing up in Alabama and starting his coaching career there. McMillan played college basketball at Birmingham-Southern before becoming the head coach at Mountain Brook High School. McMillan turned Mountain Brook into a high school powerhouse and quickly became one of the winningest coaches in Alabama high school history.

McMillan’s success at the high school level drew Samford to take a chance on him and it hired him as the Bulldogs’ head basketball coach. With the Bulldogs, McMillan turned the struggling program around and even made it to an NCAA tournament.

After Buzz Williams announced his departure from Texas A&M to join the Maryland Terrapins, Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts jumped on the chance to hire McMillan.

Ahead of the game, McMillan revealed if he thought the Aggies would come away with the victory on Saturday.

“Yeah, they will,” McMillan said. “I’ll tell you — I was joking about this. I love football. Obviously, I’m an Aggie, and Samford football plays on a different level. Alright? I was worried for two reasons because Samford is gonna come here and give it all they got, but I’m pretty sure the Aggies can name the score in that game.”

“I was joking around,” McMillan said. “After they name that score, people are gonna call Jason going, ‘Where did we get our basketball coach again?’ So, they’re gonna come in here and put up a good fight, but the basketball and football are played at a different level. So, I’m going to talk to [Mike] Elko. Maybe score 100, but don’t score 1,000 on them.”

The Aggies will certainly not be holding back, especially with what is on the line for them. If Texas A&M wins, it basically guarantees a spot in the College Football Playoff and sets the team up nicely for a chance at playing in the SEC Championship in Atlanta.

Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 11:00am CT. Tickets are already sold out on Texas A&M Athletics’ website, which is an impressive feat for an early kickoff against an FCS opponent.