Texas A&M’s 2024 season ended at the hands of USC in a 35-31 loss in the Las Vegas Bowl in the early hours of Saturday morning, as the Aggie defense collapsed in the final quarter after holding a dominant 24-7 lead late in the game.
While the Aggies were shorthanded due to opt-outs and transfer portal departures, it’s fair to say that defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s lack of second-half adjustments, especially during USC’s game-winning drive, was something we had all witnessed throughout the regular season.
This led coach Mike Elko to make a post-game statement regarding the lack of improvement in several defensive areas under Bateman’s guidance.
“I think the story of the game is the story of our season. We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.I think the story of the game is the story of our season. We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.”
While Elko blamed himself, this was Bateman’s defense, as Elko opted to give him complete control before the season. Still, before any news comes out, everything I’m about to report is purely based on recent reporting and speculation.
On Tuesday, Florida-based sports writer Barry Jackson disclosed that a recent report from On3 disclosed that after Miami coach Maio Cristobal fired defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, the Hurricanes contacted current Georgia Tech DC Tyler Santucci.
However, Jackson pointed out that the Aggies are also in the mix for Santucci, which more than likely means Elko has reached out to the up-and-coming defensive play-caller, who served as Duke’s DC and LB coach in 2023, and Texas A&M’s co-DC and linebacker coach during the 2022 season.
Suppose the Aggies are in the mix for Santucci to return to College Station. In that case, this means one of two things: Jay Bateman will be relieved of his defensive coordinator duties or demoted to an assistant role going into the 2025 season.
During Tyler Santucci’s first season with the Yellow Jackets, Georgia Tech’s defense allowed 24.3 points per game and was ranked as the top third-down defense in the ACC at 32.2 percent allowed.
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