Kevin Sumlin is already in the midst of a hunt for a new defensive coordinator. Could the Texas A&M head coach be looking for a new coordinator on the other side of the ball as well?
That may -- or may not -- ultimately be the case as Mark Berman of FOX26 in Houston is reporting that A&M offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital interviewed for the head-coaching vacancy at Tulsa Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane created the vacancy it’s attempting to fill by firing Bill Blankenship this past Monday.
Former Ole Miss and Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt stated earlier this week he has been contacted by the firm conducting Tulsa’s search.
Spavital, who was also mentioned in connection to the SMU opening, is 29 years old (he turns 30 in May) and, if hired by Tulsa, would become the youngest head coach in the FBS. Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck, who turned 34 on Nov. 29, currently holds that title.
In 2008, Spavital served as an offensive quality control assistant with the Golden Hurricane, the first time he’d dipped his toes in the coaching waters. A grad assistant in 2009 (Houston) and 2010 (Oklahoma State), Spavital’s first job as a position coach came as the quarterbacks coach at West Virginia in 2011. He was named the co-offensive coordinator at A&M in 2013 before being promoted to offensive coordinator ahead of A&M’s Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance last year.