COLLEGE STATION -- Hours after their last regular-season game, many Texas A&M football players and most of the coaching staff trickled into the team's athletic complex to hear what's next for the program.

While they were inside, the university ended any speculation about Kevin Sumlin. A&M announced it fired head coach Kevin Sumlin after six seasons. Sumlin went 51-26 during that span, including a 25-23 record in conference play.

A&M finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record, which is tied for the lowest win total during his tenure.

"It's a results-oriented profession, just like everybody else's," Sumlin said after Saturday's 41-25 loss to No. 18 LSU in the regular-season finale for both schools."

A&M assistant Jeff Banks was named interim coach for the team's bowl game that will be announced next week. Banks, like the other A&M assistant coaches who walked out of Bright Athletic Complex on Sunday afternoon, had nothing to say in the wake of Sumlin's dismissal.

According to the terms of his contract, A&M owes Sumlin a little more than $10.4 million on a contract that expires in 2019. That amount must be paid within 60 days of his firing.

While the Aggies never had a losing season under Sumlin, they never exceeded the previous year's win total. A&M finished with eight or fewer regular-season wins in five of his six seasons.

The lone exception was Sumlin's first year, one of the best in program history.

Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward, who hasn't held a local news conference since his hiring in January 2016, did not respond to an interview request.

In a statement, Woodward thanked Sumlin for his service to A&M but said it was time for the 53-year-old to be fired.

"Our expectations at A&M are very high," Woodward said. "We believe that we should compete for SEC championships on an annual basis and, at times, national championships. I believe that we need a new coach to take us there."

In 2012, A&M's first year in the SEC, the Aggies went 11-2, beat No. 1 Alabama on the road and finished in the Associated Press' top five for the first time since 1956. Sumlin also had redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel at his disposal.

Behind the strength of that season, A&M renegotiated Sumlin's salary and paid him $5 million annually, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the country, according to USA Today.

But the success never followed. A&M finished outside of the AP top 25 poll in each of the last three seasons and are expected to do the same at the end of this season.

Among Sumlin's lowlights were a 59-0 loss to Alabama in 2014, the transfer of his two highly-rated quarterbacks during a 7-day stretch in 2015 and losing his final five "Power Five" games in 2016 after A&M's best start to a season since 1994.

"There's a lot of ups and downs, but he gave me the opportunity of a lifetime," A&M junior wide receiver Christian Kirk said Saturday after the loss. "He gave everybody else on this team an opportunity of a lifetime. I wouldn't trade what's happened in these past three years for anything else."

Sumlin's .662 winning percentage trails only R.C. Slocum (.721) by any A&M coach since Homer Norton's tenure ended two years after World War II. Sumlin also had a .520 winning percentage in conference play but failed to finish in the top three in the SEC West in his final five seasons.

According to multiple reports, Sumlin could end up at Arizona State, a school he was linked to before he left Houston for A&M in 2011. Arizona State fired coach Todd Graham before A&M officially fired Sumlin.

No timetable was given on the hiring of Sumlin's replacement. Multiple reports have said the Aggies are interested in Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher's Seminoles, who won the national championship in 2013, face Louisiana-Monroe this weekend with a bowl berth on the line.

"My job is to hire the person who is the right fit to lead our football program," Woodward said in a statement. "Obviously, our search will be quiet so the next time you'll hear from me is when I'm introducing the new head football coach."

Twitter: @Ben_Baby