Report states Grant McCasland "quickly" turned down overture from Texas A&M

There will always be a portion of most fan bases that is paranoid. Such is the nature of college athletics, where everyone only looks out for their own interests. However, when Texas Tech basketball fans learned that Texas A&M was interested in talking to Grant McCasland to gauge his interest in leaving Lubbock to take over in College Station, few Red Raiders did more than simply chuckle.

While the initial speculation about A&M reaching out to McCasland came from uninformed sources, in recent days, one reputable source has reported that the Aggies did in fact try to talk to McCasland. To no one's surprise in West Texas, though, there was no interest on the part of the Texas Tech head coach.

According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, who was reporting on the A&M coaching search, McCasland was recently contacted by A&M. However, that's about as far as the conversation went.

In the article (which is behind a paywall), Nakos writes, "Texas A&M had been in contact with Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland, but he had quickly said no."

This news comes as no shock to most people outside of College Station. However, it is still rather satisfying to read.

The simple reality that A&M must wrap its head around is that the Texas Tech basketball job is leaps and bounds more desirable than the A&M job. Though that may be hard for delusional Aggies to swallow, it is the truth.

While A&M has never been to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, Tech just wrapped up its third Elite Eight season in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. That alone paints a stark picture of where the two programs are.

What's more, the A&M basketball program will always play a distant second fiddle to the football program in College Station. The fan support, the donor support, and the administration support for Aggie basketball will never be a drop in the bucket compared to what the football program receives. Thus, any coach who takes that job has to know that he will be at best second in line at A&M.

Now, the Texas Tech football program does receive more money than the basketball program does. That's because it also brings in more money (as is the case at A&M and most other schools across the nation) and requires more money to operate.

However, the percentage of the athletic budget and donor support that Tech basketball gets has to be a much larger share of the pie than what A&M basketball receives. Of course, McCasland is also arguably the most popular figure in Lubbock. No Aggie basketball coach will ever be able to say the same about his status among that fan base.

Away from the court, McCasland and his family appear to be happy in Lubbock. His wife, Cece, played soccer at Tech and is a passionate Red Raider alum.

Meanwhile, the McCaslands have built a home for themselves on the South Plains where they could sow roots and even raise some miniature donkeys. Given that the McCaslands have school-aged children, it would seem like it would take an incredible job to convince them to uproot their family again after finally finding a place to settle, something that can often be difficult for college head coaches.

Of course, every logical person knows that the Aggie basketball job is not incredible. If it were, they wouldn't have lost their successful head coach, Buzz Williams, to Maryland, a school that doesn't have near the athletic budget that A&M does.

So far, A&M is 0-2 with the coaches they have reportedly targeted. Before reaching out to McCasland, they were used by Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, who has decided to stay in Oxford. What's funny is that it is now being reported that Beard was the one who initiated contact with A&M in the first place, only to stay put with the Rebels after getting a contract extension. In other words, Beard played A&M, the chief rival of his alma mater, Texas.

Then, the Aggies turned to McCasland, who hardly blinked at their offer before saying "No". It's an outcome that doesn't shock any Red Raider, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable either.