Will Stein’s evaluation of Jay Bateman will draw bitter laughs from Texas A&M fans

There is no love lost between Texas A&M fans and former defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, as Aggie fans mostly blame him and former DL coach Sean Spencer for the shortcomings on that side of the ball that Texas A&M fans saw over the past couple of years. Needless to say, Aggie fans were not really sad to see the back of him when he accepted the job over at Kentucky this past offseason.

Last season, the word was clear that Mike Elko was the one calling the shots on defense for most of the season, even though it was Bateman still as the defensive coordinator on paper. Lyle Hemphill’s addition to the staff was another big piece, as he fixed a lot of problems that the Aggies had on the back end from the previous year.

Elko moved to let Hemphill take the reins fully this past offseason, and Bateman was hired away by Kentucky with the status of his contract renewal being very much in doubt in College Station. He’s not a bad hire for the young Will Stein’s new staff up in Lexington, as he will no doubt be able to recruit some better players up there than they are used to having, but his coaching and scheme leave a bit to be desired. When Stein took the podium and praised his DC, though, there were a few comments that left Aggie fans cringing… or laughing.

Will Stein’s Jay Bateman praise has Aggie fans wondering if he knows what’s coming

Here’s what Stein had to say when asked about Bateman in his new role up in Lexington.

There’s a strong element here of a young coach showing confidence in one of his first hires, and that is completely understandable— and praiseworthy. The point of concern for Aggie fans would be the specific praise of Bateman’s scheme, which was a big issue both of his years in College Station.

Some years ago, Bateman had an elite defense in his time at Army, but his stints since then have not exactly been great. There has to be some grace given to him trying to work as a co-defensive coordinator up in Chapel Hill, but working with one of the best defensive minds in the nation in Mike Elko, he should have produced far better than he did in College Station.

There was a specific point at the end of the 2024 season when Mike Elko criticized the defense for not being able to run zone coverages. That’s a coaching point, through and through, and falls directly on the shoulders of the then-DC, Bateman. That kind of thing does not exactly speak highly of his ability to teach these schemes to players.

Maybe Bateman will find more success up in Lexington than he did down in College Station— that’s a distinct possibility. But Stein, and any other Wildcat hoping to see some elite scheme out of their defensive coordinator, might want to temper their expectations just a little bit— take it from a fanbase that has had their fill of him over the past couple of seasons.

Today's best reads

• Josh Heupel’s comments on Rickey Gibson just solved one of Elko’s biggest questions
• Brent Venables’ surprising comments about Mike Elko show what’s changed for A&M
• Steve Sarkisian comes for Mike Elko’s recruiting crown but looks like he just whiffed
• Marcel Reed coming to SEC Media Days shows Mike Elko’s belief in one crucial point
• Worrying trend continuing for Texas A&M after newest recruit rankings update

This article was originally published on gigemgazette.com as Will Stein’s evaluation of Jay Bateman will draw bitter laughs from Texas A&M fans.