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NEWS: Texas A&M Hires Leroy Burrell as Next Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
On Sunday, Texas A&M announced that they have hired Leroy Burrell as the program's newest Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. The hiring comes less than two weeks after news broke that the Aggies' former Director, Pat Henry, was retiring.
Burrell previously served as the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field for Auburn, a Southeastern Conference (SEC) rival of the Aggies. During his time with the Tigers, Burrell led his program to four top-five team finishes at the NCAA Championships on the track.
Prior to being hired by Auburn in the summer of 2022, Burrell was the long-time Director at the University of Houston. There, he developed the Cougars into a sprints powerhouse that was capable of being competitive with many of the NCAA's most elite programs.
As an athlete, Burrell was once one of the globe's fastest sprinters, having set world records in numerous short distance events, including the 100 meters where he ran a time of 9.85 in 1994. He also secured multiple medals on Olympic and World Championship stages.
Burrell's decision to join Texas A&M carries significant implications, specifically when it comes to transfers and coaching changes.
Kayinsola Ajayi (sprints) and Ja’Kobe Tharp (hurdles), two phenom-caliber athletes currently residing at Auburn, both have one additional year of eligibility remaining. Should they choose to pause their professional ambitions, both men could theoretically transfer to Texas A&M for their final year in the NCAA.
It is also fair to wonder what will happen to the current coaching staff at Texas A&M, specifically those overseeing the middle and long distance events.
Despite limited investment, the Texas A&M men and women have slowly developed into respectable cross country programs in recent years. The Aggie women qualified for the NCAA XC Championships last fall while their men's team took 3rd place at the South Central Regional XC Championships.
The men's and women's longer distance athletes have been led by Coach Wendel McRaven since 2011.
However, it's the middle distance events that will be eyed with greater scrutiny moving forward. That, of course, is because Texas A&M has developed a reputation as one of the single-most elite middle distance powerhouses in the NCAA, specifically over 800 meters.
Between Athing Mu, Sammy Watson, Jazmine Fray, Donavan Brazier, Devin Dixon, Brandon Miller, Sam Whitmarsh and, most recently, Peter Narumbe, few-to-no NCAA institutions have developed as many high-end superstars over 800 meters than College Station has.
Milton Mallard previously oversaw the men's and women's middle distance events at Texas A&M before former UTEP coach Paul Ereng replaced him in 2023.