COLLEGE STATION, Texas — When things don’t go well on the field, someone pays a price off the field.
Following a 23-17 loss to LSU on Thursday, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin made a coaching staff change by dismissing defensive coordinator Mark Snyder.
Snyder — for All-Ohio star at Ironton and sn All-American at Marshall — was the first victim of Texas A&M’s 7-5 season and 3-5 record in the Southeastern Conference.
Snyder was the head coach at Marshall University for five seasons and has served as an assistant coach at Youngstown State, Central Florida, Minnesota, South Florida and Ohio State including the 2002 national championship season.
Snyder was gracious in his departure.
“I appreciate the opportunity Kevin Sumlin gave me to come to Texas A&M and to work on his staff. I have been in the business a while now and understand it is a production-based business,” said Snyder.
Sumlin praised Snyder but agreed that on-field performance took precedent.
“Mark is an outstanding coach and an even better person, but he understands the production needed to be better on the defensive side of the football,” Sumlin said in a prepared statement. “We wish he and his family all of the best moving forward.”
The Aggies were just two years removed from an 11-2 team that used a great defensive effort to shock then-No. 1-ranked Alabama on its home field. The defense ranked 26th nationally that season including 16th in third down conversion rate.
But A&M has slumped on both sides of the ball this season and the Aggies’ defense ranks 103rd nationally in yards allowed per game (449) and is 111th in rushing defense (223.5 yards per game). They allowed a season-high 384 yards to LSU on Thursday.
Snyder’s base salary of $700,000 was scheduled to run through 2016.
Linebackers’ coach Mark Hagen will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the Aggies’ bowl game.