It's not Mark Richt and it's not any of the other candidates suddenly thrown into the mix, but Texas A&M is reportedly close to a deal with its new head coach. And the man is who many expected to see turn up in College Station all along. It took a bit of time for Texas A&M and Kevin Sumlin to get to the final stages of the negotiations that are expected to make the Houston head coach the leading man of the Aggies, but that's where everything stands late on Friday night.

According to Billy Luicci, Sumlin and A&M are in the final stages of negotiations.

As expected and noted on @TexAgs, negotiations between A&M/Kevin Sumlin expected to wrap up on Saturday.

It doesn't mean a deal is done yet, and we've seen plenty fall through so far. Still, Sumlin has been the rumored leading candidate since the job came over, despite a search that's twisted and winded in the last week. And now it appears he's one step away from being announced as the Aggies' new head coach.

For more on the Aggies, visit Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man. And check in with our 2011 Coaching Carousel Tracker.