Would Lions coach Dan Campbell ditch Detroit to take over Texas A&M football?

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wants to help Texas A&M football, his alma mater, but that won't be as the Aggies' coach.

The former Texas A&M tight end from 1995-98 shot down the possibility of him returning to College Station to coach the Aggies, who fired Jimbo Fisher on Nov. 12.

"Maybe," Campbell said Friday when asked if Texas A&M had reached out to him. "But that's all good. Certainly, I know some people there, and I love my school. That's my alma mater. I want to do anything I can to help them but coach for them, and I'll do that."

Campbell is in his third year coaching the NFL's Lions and has led them to a 7-2 record this season to move atop the NFC North standings. The 47-year-old coach has become a hot name in the football world, after taking over a Detroit team that finished 5-11 in 2020 and nearly making the playoffs just two seasons later.

The nine-year NFL veteran did however offer his take on what qualities Texas A&M's next coach should have.

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"Look, I don't want to get into all that," he said. "Certainly, the hire is important, and it needs to be somebody that understands the state of Texas, understands the history of Texas A&M and can communicate with young people and develop them. I think that's where it starts. Strong leadership."

Campbell caught 27 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in four seasons with the Aggies before he was selected in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

According to Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls on Thursday, Texas A&M recently interviewed Texas-San Antonio coach Jeff Traylor for 90 minutes on a Zoom call for the vacancy. Traylor has coached at UTSA since 2020, and previously spent 2000-14 as the head coach at Gilmer High School in Texas before spending a decade as a Texas high school assistant.