Tell Me About Texas a&m

[TrashMaster G 17537]

23 minutes ago, statsman said:

Yep. The Ag give mind has mistaken the correlation of a once top 10-ish team falling to 8-4 consistency and the simultaneous end of their bonfire tradition, with causation. If the damned logs had fallen in 1984, not a one of them would be clamoring to bring it back. 

I disagree completely. 

I don't think you understand cults.

[DigglerontheHoof 21168]

50 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

I wonder, just to take it up a notch, if they can incorporate guns into the bonfire tradition?

They're a bunch of pinko-commies if they don't. 

[Randolph Duke 4034]

1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

It was the year that convinced me that playing them was not worth it anymore. They absolutely cannot act like rational human beings when it comes to us. Our benevolence was met with hostility.

There was no way we could have won the bonfire game, on the field or otherwise. They are classless, juvenile trash.

This morning I was listening to a local Dallas station do their bit on aggy wanting to bring back their bonfire and the news casters were talking that aggy is now 35,000 over where they were when they did their stunt in 1999.

35,000 over where they were.

How does anyone figure that those kids care about the bonfire, the silly aggy band, or any number of 1990's aggy things.

A&M received 43,422 applications and they took 27,203 freshman students. Astonishing. https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/how-to-get-into-texas-am

UT Austin only admitted 38,250 in all undergraduate disciplines. 

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

[Vertigo 20276]

4 minutes ago, Randolph Duke said:

Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

[Armybrat 40815]

5 hours ago, PvilleStang said:

Not true...

 

The olds can go to school, too...

Name & number?

[Hagbard Celine 10848]

1 hour ago, Randolph Duke said:

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

 

[ousux 5595]

Name & number?

No cradle robbing allowed up in here

[Leanderman 2275]

"Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be."

[statsman 5449]

I remember hearing that the largest hirer of SHSU grads is Alamo Rental Car.
 
The Sewell car dealerships like to hire Aggies, though. 

[Armybrat 40815]

15 minutes ago, statsman said:

I remember hearing that the largest hirer of SHSU grads is Alamo Rental Car.
 
The Sewell car dealerships like to hire Aggies, though. 

So does Buc-ee’s 

[Jkwellborn 6686]

They'll force the construction firm to hire students and have all their people wear overalls and put those stupid "pots" on their heads.
And the jizz jars will show up in the first week of the entire endeavor. 

They’d just pick a firm full of ex ags or whatever they like to call themselves.

[Tex Long 4382]

2 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

They’d just pick a firm full of ex ags or whatever they like to call themselves.

There is no "x" in aggy.

[DFW Horn 6123]

4 hours ago, Randolph Duke said:

Let the kids at A&M get a diploma, let them figure out who they want to become and quit insisting they go back to being aggys of the past. Those aggys are gone. None of them where alive when the bonfire was a big deal. Quit forcing them to be who you are and let them be who they want to be.

How do you know the 27k FNGs don't wanna be redass, nut-squeezin, jizz jar fillin' yokels? It's turdition or their applications would've been denied.

[Longboard Horn 40284]

[Carl Spackler 3479]

4 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

I've got to think at least half of aggy's 29 were in meat judging.  Amirite?

[Armybrat 40815]

6 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I've got to think at least half of aggy's 29 were in meat judging.  Amirite?

Don’t forget “equestrian” and “shoving arms up cow asses”.

[TrashMaster G 17537]

Wikipedia lists 21 SEC conference championships, plus four more division championships.

Men's

Basketball - 1 reg season

Baseball - 1 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season, 2 tourney

Outdoor T&F - 1

TOTAL - 6

 

Women's

Basketball - 1 reg season, 1 tourney

Soccer - 2 reg season, 3 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season

Golf - 1

S&D - 4

Outdoor T&F - 1

Volleyball - 1

TOTAL - 15

 

We will pass them in five years or less.

[PvilleStang 2875]

Wait, they count regular season and tourney championships separately?  So winning out in Soccer counts twice as much than an SEC championship in football or volleyball?  Forgive my ignorance here...

[TrashMaster G 17537]

45 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Wait, they count regular season and tourney championships separately?  So winning out in Soccer counts twice as much than an SEC championship in football or volleyball?  Forgive my ignorance here...

In sports where they have conference tournaments, there are trophies awarded for both the regular season and the tournament. It's that way in all conferences.

[83Horn 1640]

22 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

I wonder, just to take it up a notch, if they can incorporate guns into the bonfire tradition?

Depends what type of "gun" you're talking about.  If they did it the Steel Shank way, they'd incorporate pipe laying into their traditions, amiright?

[jimmyjazz 45877]

I don't consider a conference tournament championship a "conference championship", at least for sports where there is a regular conference season.

[Bill Lumbergh 7171]

3 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

I've got to think at least half of aggy's 29 were in meat judging.  Amirite?

"Half?"

[Carl Spackler 3479]

1 hour ago, Bill Lumbergh said:

"Half?"

Hey, I did say "at least."       

[South Austin 52431]

1 hour ago, Bill Lumbergh said:

It's really not fair.  This guy is like the John Wooden of meat judging.  

[Tex Long 4382]

16 minutes ago, South Austin said:

It's really not fair.  This guy is like the John Wooden of meat judging.  

Register the handle "Meat Pimp" snd send him the password. This neeeds to happen.

[Pimphand 5732]

Did someone say meat pimp?  https://www.cc.com/video/jzq2u1/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-headlines-meat-pimp

I doubt unlike that old stooge he would need a security detail to deal with that inaccurate riff raff.

[NoName 16349]

1 hour ago, Tex Long said:

Register the handle "Meat Pimp" snd send him the password. This neeeds to happen.

didn't someone here say they know his family? or live close to his parents/know them?

[closetojumping 62510]

8 minutes ago, NoName said:

didn't someone here say they know his family? or live close to his parents/know them?

@GreenspointTexas

He gets together with the Meat Pimp's dad on the regular and they compare paychecks or some shit.

[nnm 36330]

17 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

@GreenspointTexas

He gets together with the Meat Pimp's dad on the regular and they compare paychecks or some shit.

Meat Pimp’s dad is a murse?  Man, no one mentioned that meat pimp was one of them ultra wealthy dudes on top of his natural talents. 

[Cairn Horn88 8259]

23 hours ago, Tex Long said:

There is no "x" in aggy.

So…firmer aggy it is.

[Longboard Horn 40284]

9 hours ago, TrashMaster G said:

Wikipedia lists 21 SEC conference championships, plus four more division championships.

Men's

Basketball - 1 reg season

Baseball - 1 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season, 2 tourney

Outdoor T&F - 1

TOTAL - 6

 

Women's

Basketball - 1 reg season, 1 tourney

Soccer - 2 reg season, 3 tourney

Tennis - 1 reg season

Golf - 1

S&D - 4

Outdoor T&F - 1

Volleyball - 1

TOTAL - 15

 

We will pass them in five years or less.

We’re gonna pass them by NSD 2026

[Tonesky 932]

10 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

I've got to think at least half of aggy's 29 were in meat judging.  Amirite?

The fled to the SEC to get away from Tech….

[tbone_ 14106]

The fled to the SEC to get away from Tech….

Watching the Pirate wear their ass out on the reg was so enjoyable.

[Vertigo 20276]

16 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

Watching the Pirate wear their ass out on the reg was so enjoyable.

One of the true joys of football for the last 20 years.

[closetojumping 62510]

The Elk has confessed to his audience, after the first aggie scrimmage, that things are ... not so great right now.

https://247sports.com/college/texas-am/longformarticle/texas-a-m-football-notebook-aggie-coach-mike-elko-says-team-remains-a-work-in-progress-230249778/#2404181

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

Spoilered the full article in case the link is subscriber only:

Spoiler

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko covered a variety of topics in his mid-spring press conference Wednesday. Here are five highlights from what he discussed with the media.

The Aggies are still a 'work in progress'

A&M is beyond the halfway point of spring football, completing nine of its 15 practices so far. The Aggies also held their first spring scrimmage Tuesday. But in his three spring football press conferences, Elko has seemingly refrained from giving many revealing takeaways.

Elko does not appear to be playing coy with his answers. He has simply suggested that his Aggie team remains far from a finished product, describing them as a "work in progress." With a new coaching staff and 30 scholarship newcomers this spring, A&M certainly has a learning curve.

"Every time our kids are going out on the field, they are doing something for the first time," Elko said. "I think that is always a challenge, and that is what makes the first spring so challenging. Very happy with our guys in terms of their mindset, how hard they are working, the things that they are doing to try to get this thing in the right direction. 

"We have managed to stay relatively healthy, which is huge, and getting a lot of guys out there and getting a lot of reps and a lot of work."

With six practices remaining, the Aggies should only continue to progress and have a better understanding of the scheme and depth chart. They are expected to have two more scrimmages this spring – one next Tuesday and the other for the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field next Saturday.

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

QB Conner Weigman is not exactly cemented as the starter

Going into the spring, Elko named redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman as his starting quarterback. However, that label should not be considered permanent. If quarterbacks Jaylen Henderson or Marcel Reed outperform Weigman in practice, they could conceivably leapfrog him on the depth chart. At least, that is how Elko seemed to describe the situation.

"Just because you go in the spring as the number one (quarterback), that does not really mean anything other than your number one going in the spring," Elko said. "Conner had earned that right, we felt like from how he had performed. But like every kid in our program, competition is there. So Conner knows there is a level of play that he needs to reach in order to continue to be number one and be number one when we play Notre Dame."

Weigman began last season as the top option and impressed in his four starts. He completed 68.9% (82 of 119) of his passes for 979 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 12 carries into 63 yards and two scores.

However, Weigman remains limited from the season-ending left foot/ankle injury that he suffered against Auburn last September. He has been practicing with restrictions throughout this spring.

"He is not 100%," said Elko of Weigman. "He is not going to be 100% coming out of spring. He is still recovering from the ankle. So he is able to go. He is a tough kid, and it is a testament to him that he understands how important it is to get these reps."

After what they showed last season, Henderson and Reed appear to have the talent to push Weigman in the coming months.

Henderson started the last four games last season, though he permanently exited the TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State early after going down with a right arm/elbow injury. In his three full starts combined, Henderson completed 67.5% (52 of 77) of his passes for six touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 40 carries into 97 yards and two scores.

As a true freshman last season, Reed initially served as the fourth-team quarterback. But he replaced Henderson in the bowl game and shined, completing 20 of 33 passes for 361 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 29 yards and a score on 10 carries.

"Jaylen Henderson is getting a little bit more and more comfortable functioning within the system," Elko said. "He is obviously extremely athletic. He does have the ability to throw the football well. Just seeing the game and getting the game to slow down for him a little bit so it can be a little bit more consistent, the way he delivers the football, I think would help. 

"Then Marcel Reed as a young kid – and you saw it in the bowl game. I think he has really high potential. It is very similar, though. It is, can we get it to be out there every single play? A little less peaks and valleys and a little bit more consistent execution and operation is what we need to get."

New transfers who have stood out this spring

A&M has landed 24 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, and only three of them are not on campus yet. After fielding a question about who has stood out among the new transfers, Elko initially dodged it with a quip.

"I could reword that question," Elko said. "'Hey, coach, you brought in 24 guys. Are there 22 you would like to really get upset by singling out only two?' I am trying to figure out how to word it without doing that."

Elko eventually named defensive end Nic Scourton (Purdue), offensive lineman Ar'maj Reed-Adams (Kansas) and tight end Tre Watson (Fresno State) as three transfers who have made a solid first impression this spring. He added that Watson has been dealing with a shoulder injury, though, and did not participate in the scrimmage Tuesday.

Scourton impressing is no surprise. He led the Big Ten in sacks last season with 10 and received second-team all-conference honors. Reed-Adams and Watson emerging are the more interesting developments.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Reed-Adams brings versatility and significant experience. In four seasons with the Jayhawks, he appeared in 31 games with 14 starts. Reed-Adams started his first eight games of the 2023 season at left guard before lining up at right tackle for the final three. His other three career starts came as a true freshman in 2020 and were all at right guard. Reed-Adams will likely compete for one of the two starting spots at offensive guard for the Aggies.

A&M lacks a cemented starter at tight end, and Watson has the talent to be in consideration. He is seen as more of a receiving tight end but had a productive 2023 season with the Bulldogs, catching 38 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Watson and Henderson were teammates at Fresno State in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Elko also named most of the eight new transfers in the secondary as standout performers. Safety Trey Jones III (Central Michigan) and cornerback Dezz Ricks (Alabama) have been dealing with injuries. Safety De'Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt) is not set to join the Aggies until June.

"From Marcus Ratcliffe to Will Lee to Donovan Saunders to BJ Mayes … every one of those kids has flashed at times," Elko said. "They are going to add a lot of value back there."

Bryce Anderson affirmatively moving to safety, other DB tidbits

As a sophomore, Bryce Anderson entered last season with lofty expectations. He stepped into a starting role at nickel cornerback and looked ready to fill the void that the previous starter, Antonio Johnson, left. But while Anderson had his moments, he mostly produced mixed results.

Perhaps because he played out of position.

"Bryce is a safety. We recruited Bryce to play safety," said Elko, who as the former A&M defensive coordinator helped pursue Anderson out of the 2022 recruiting class. "I have always envisioned him being a safety in this defense. He is not playing nickel. I do not think he is a nickel."

Anderson seems like a lock to secure one of the two starting safety jobs. Which player will claim the other starting spot remains unclear. Jones and Wright bring the most starting experience, but one has not been 100% healthy and the other is not with the team yet.

Elko noticeably raved about Dalton Brooks, who played a lot of high-leverage reps as a true freshman last season.

"Dalton Brooks has taken a huge step forward this spring and been really happy with him," Elko said. "He is an elite run-and-hit safety. He still has a little bit of a gap to close in terms of processing and understanding everything that we are doing, which he is doing every day. But I do think he has got some really elite traits, and we are excited about that one."

With Anderson permanently leaving the nickel unit, that position group will be worth monitoring as well. 

Going into the spring, Florida transfer Jaydon Hill seemed like the favorite to win the starting nickel job. He started 11 games at nickel for the Gators last season. However, Elko mentioned that incumbent starting cornerback Tyreek Chappell has been cross training on the outside and at nickel. He said cornerback Bravion Rogers has seen action at nickel, too.

"Nickel is probably a little bit harder than corner," Elko said. "You are a little bit closer to the ball. There is a little bit more going on. From a scheme standpoint, the more reps you can get at nickel, it probably benefits you than always needing them to be out at corner."

The next step for running back Rueben Owens II

In an interview with the media last week, A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein opined that the days of a workhorse running back are "probably not there anymore." The Aggies using a committee approach in 2024 would certainly make sense. Running backs Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II shared an equal workload last season, and they all produced similar numbers.

Still, Owens will be worth monitoring as someone who could emerge from the group this offseason. He has the recruiting pedigree, receiving a five-star rating in the 2023 class. And despite being a true freshman last season, Owens played about as well as Daniels and Moss.

To reach another level as a player, though, Owens will probably need to improve his pass protection and ability to gain yards after contact. Pro Football Focus gave Owens a 16.8 pass-blocking grade last season. Among the 119 FBS running backs who played at least 50 pass-blocking snaps, that grade came in last. His 2.53 yards after contact per attempt ranked 143rd out of 157 FBS running backs (minimum 100 attempts).

"He has had a really good spring in terms of doing the things he needs to do to take his game to the next level," Elko said. "He is extremely athletic. He does a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield. 

"He needs to just learn how to be a running back in the SEC and how to get four and five yards sometimes. He does a really good job of getting the 30 and 35 yards. That is his natural athleticism. We have to get him to be a little bit cleaner at the four and five yards, and that is what he is working on. I think he is getting really good at it."

For the tl/dr crowd, Weigman isn't working out as much as Elko thinks he needs to, so Elko is hinting that he might not be QB1 after the spring; Reuben Owens is a pussy who still can't pass protect and goes down immediately on contact; Bryce Anderson is a safety and they don't know who the other safety will be, nor do they have a clue who the corner will be; outside of Nick Scourton and a guard from Kansas, they are in deep shit regarding transfer talent.

[South Austin 52431]

Someone tell Elko that's not how the roller coaster works.

[hook me 2092]

29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Someone tell Elko that's not how the roller coaster works.

The aggy roller coaster is the only roller coaster strong enough to get that tub of lard off the ground.

[TrashMaster G 17537]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Someone tell Elko that's not how the roller coaster works.

Someone will sit him down before the day is out.

Next time he talks, there will be more sunshine pumping.

[jimmyjazz 45877]

So it's hard to build a decent team with nothing but blue collar, lunchpail types?  Huh.

[Basil 753]

That fat Mario guy is not going to be able to copy/paste this type of information from prior years' spring reports.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9323]

So this is the point where texags collectively jizz their pants because Elko is laying down the law, not sugar coating things, lighting a fire under the pre madonnas, right?

[Handcruser 2805]

So this is the point where texags collectively jizz their pants because Elko is laying down the law, not sugar coating things, lighting a fire under the pre madonnas, right?

Yes.

[MontereyMX 869]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

The Elk has confessed to his audience, after the first aggie scrimmage, that things are ... not so great right now.

https://247sports.com/college/texas-am/longformarticle/texas-a-m-football-notebook-aggie-coach-mike-elko-says-team-remains-a-work-in-progress-230249778/#2404181

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

Spoilered the full article in case the link is subscriber only:

  Hide contents

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko covered a variety of topics in his mid-spring press conference Wednesday. Here are five highlights from what he discussed with the media.

The Aggies are still a 'work in progress'

A&M is beyond the halfway point of spring football, completing nine of its 15 practices so far. The Aggies also held their first spring scrimmage Tuesday. But in his three spring football press conferences, Elko has seemingly refrained from giving many revealing takeaways.

Elko does not appear to be playing coy with his answers. He has simply suggested that his Aggie team remains far from a finished product, describing them as a "work in progress." With a new coaching staff and 30 scholarship newcomers this spring, A&M certainly has a learning curve.

"Every time our kids are going out on the field, they are doing something for the first time," Elko said. "I think that is always a challenge, and that is what makes the first spring so challenging. Very happy with our guys in terms of their mindset, how hard they are working, the things that they are doing to try to get this thing in the right direction. 

"We have managed to stay relatively healthy, which is huge, and getting a lot of guys out there and getting a lot of reps and a lot of work."

With six practices remaining, the Aggies should only continue to progress and have a better understanding of the scheme and depth chart. They are expected to have two more scrimmages this spring – one next Tuesday and the other for the Maroon and White Game in Kyle Field next Saturday.

"I am a coach, so I do not know how to sugarcoat all of this stuff," Elko said. "It is not great right now, because they are not comfortable in it yet. That is part of spring. It is just learning how the system works, taking more and more reps of it. 

"The challenge that we will have coming out of spring ball is understanding where we are and having a phenomenal summer so that when we get back to fall camp, practice one, we are 100 days better and not taking any steps back."

QB Conner Weigman is not exactly cemented as the starter

Going into the spring, Elko named redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman as his starting quarterback. However, that label should not be considered permanent. If quarterbacks Jaylen Henderson or Marcel Reed outperform Weigman in practice, they could conceivably leapfrog him on the depth chart. At least, that is how Elko seemed to describe the situation.

"Just because you go in the spring as the number one (quarterback), that does not really mean anything other than your number one going in the spring," Elko said. "Conner had earned that right, we felt like from how he had performed. But like every kid in our program, competition is there. So Conner knows there is a level of play that he needs to reach in order to continue to be number one and be number one when we play Notre Dame."

Weigman began last season as the top option and impressed in his four starts. He completed 68.9% (82 of 119) of his passes for 979 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 12 carries into 63 yards and two scores.

However, Weigman remains limited from the season-ending left foot/ankle injury that he suffered against Auburn last September. He has been practicing with restrictions throughout this spring.

"He is not 100%," said Elko of Weigman. "He is not going to be 100% coming out of spring. He is still recovering from the ankle. So he is able to go. He is a tough kid, and it is a testament to him that he understands how important it is to get these reps."

After what they showed last season, Henderson and Reed appear to have the talent to push Weigman in the coming months.

Henderson started the last four games last season, though he permanently exited the TaxAct Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State early after going down with a right arm/elbow injury. In his three full starts combined, Henderson completed 67.5% (52 of 77) of his passes for six touchdowns with two interceptions while turning 40 carries into 97 yards and two scores.

As a true freshman last season, Reed initially served as the fourth-team quarterback. But he replaced Henderson in the bowl game and shined, completing 20 of 33 passes for 361 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 29 yards and a score on 10 carries.

"Jaylen Henderson is getting a little bit more and more comfortable functioning within the system," Elko said. "He is obviously extremely athletic. He does have the ability to throw the football well. Just seeing the game and getting the game to slow down for him a little bit so it can be a little bit more consistent, the way he delivers the football, I think would help. 

"Then Marcel Reed as a young kid – and you saw it in the bowl game. I think he has really high potential. It is very similar, though. It is, can we get it to be out there every single play? A little less peaks and valleys and a little bit more consistent execution and operation is what we need to get."

New transfers who have stood out this spring

A&M has landed 24 scholarship players from the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, and only three of them are not on campus yet. After fielding a question about who has stood out among the new transfers, Elko initially dodged it with a quip.

"I could reword that question," Elko said. "'Hey, coach, you brought in 24 guys. Are there 22 you would like to really get upset by singling out only two?' I am trying to figure out how to word it without doing that."

Elko eventually named defensive end Nic Scourton (Purdue), offensive lineman Ar'maj Reed-Adams (Kansas) and tight end Tre Watson (Fresno State) as three transfers who have made a solid first impression this spring. He added that Watson has been dealing with a shoulder injury, though, and did not participate in the scrimmage Tuesday.

Scourton impressing is no surprise. He led the Big Ten in sacks last season with 10 and received second-team all-conference honors. Reed-Adams and Watson emerging are the more interesting developments.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Reed-Adams brings versatility and significant experience. In four seasons with the Jayhawks, he appeared in 31 games with 14 starts. Reed-Adams started his first eight games of the 2023 season at left guard before lining up at right tackle for the final three. His other three career starts came as a true freshman in 2020 and were all at right guard. Reed-Adams will likely compete for one of the two starting spots at offensive guard for the Aggies.

A&M lacks a cemented starter at tight end, and Watson has the talent to be in consideration. He is seen as more of a receiving tight end but had a productive 2023 season with the Bulldogs, catching 38 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. Watson and Henderson were teammates at Fresno State in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Elko also named most of the eight new transfers in the secondary as standout performers. Safety Trey Jones III (Central Michigan) and cornerback Dezz Ricks (Alabama) have been dealing with injuries. Safety De'Rickey Wright (Vanderbilt) is not set to join the Aggies until June.

"From Marcus Ratcliffe to Will Lee to Donovan Saunders to BJ Mayes … every one of those kids has flashed at times," Elko said. "They are going to add a lot of value back there."

Bryce Anderson affirmatively moving to safety, other DB tidbits

As a sophomore, Bryce Anderson entered last season with lofty expectations. He stepped into a starting role at nickel cornerback and looked ready to fill the void that the previous starter, Antonio Johnson, left. But while Anderson had his moments, he mostly produced mixed results.

Perhaps because he played out of position.

"Bryce is a safety. We recruited Bryce to play safety," said Elko, who as the former A&M defensive coordinator helped pursue Anderson out of the 2022 recruiting class. "I have always envisioned him being a safety in this defense. He is not playing nickel. I do not think he is a nickel."

Anderson seems like a lock to secure one of the two starting safety jobs. Which player will claim the other starting spot remains unclear. Jones and Wright bring the most starting experience, but one has not been 100% healthy and the other is not with the team yet.

Elko noticeably raved about Dalton Brooks, who played a lot of high-leverage reps as a true freshman last season.

"Dalton Brooks has taken a huge step forward this spring and been really happy with him," Elko said. "He is an elite run-and-hit safety. He still has a little bit of a gap to close in terms of processing and understanding everything that we are doing, which he is doing every day. But I do think he has got some really elite traits, and we are excited about that one."

With Anderson permanently leaving the nickel unit, that position group will be worth monitoring as well. 

Going into the spring, Florida transfer Jaydon Hill seemed like the favorite to win the starting nickel job. He started 11 games at nickel for the Gators last season. However, Elko mentioned that incumbent starting cornerback Tyreek Chappell has been cross training on the outside and at nickel. He said cornerback Bravion Rogers has seen action at nickel, too.

"Nickel is probably a little bit harder than corner," Elko said. "You are a little bit closer to the ball. There is a little bit more going on. From a scheme standpoint, the more reps you can get at nickel, it probably benefits you than always needing them to be out at corner."

The next step for running back Rueben Owens II

In an interview with the media last week, A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein opined that the days of a workhorse running back are "probably not there anymore." The Aggies using a committee approach in 2024 would certainly make sense. Running backs Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss and Rueben Owens II shared an equal workload last season, and they all produced similar numbers.

Still, Owens will be worth monitoring as someone who could emerge from the group this offseason. He has the recruiting pedigree, receiving a five-star rating in the 2023 class. And despite being a true freshman last season, Owens played about as well as Daniels and Moss.

To reach another level as a player, though, Owens will probably need to improve his pass protection and ability to gain yards after contact. Pro Football Focus gave Owens a 16.8 pass-blocking grade last season. Among the 119 FBS running backs who played at least 50 pass-blocking snaps, that grade came in last. His 2.53 yards after contact per attempt ranked 143rd out of 157 FBS running backs (minimum 100 attempts).

"He has had a really good spring in terms of doing the things he needs to do to take his game to the next level," Elko said. "He is extremely athletic. He does a really good job catching the ball out of the backfield. 

"He needs to just learn how to be a running back in the SEC and how to get four and five yards sometimes. He does a really good job of getting the 30 and 35 yards. That is his natural athleticism. We have to get him to be a little bit cleaner at the four and five yards, and that is what he is working on. I think he is getting really good at it."

For the tl/dr crowd, Weigman isn't working out as much as Elko thinks he needs to, so Elko is hinting that he might not be QB1 after the spring; Reuben Owens is a pussy who still can't pass protect and goes down immediately on contact; Bryce Anderson is a safety and they don't know who the other safety will be, nor do they have a clue who the corner will be; outside of Nick Scourton and a guard from Kansas, they are in deep shit regarding transfer talent.

what the fuck is “recruiting pedigree?”

[YGIFS 19449]

It's how you draw more attractively bred livestock to College Station.  For..............reasons.  

[closetojumping 62510]

35 minutes ago, MontereyMX said:

what the fuck is “recruiting pedigree?”

In scouting parlance, there's a notion that where a player was ranked and/or drafted matters years later when looking at the player's performance and expectations in the future. So if a 1st rounder, 4 years later, is busting down in A ball, another team may still trade for him at a discount because "somebody saw something". So what he's saying is that even though Reuben Owens plays like a pussy and can't pass block for shit, maybe he'll eventually turn some sort of corner because, hey, 5 star!

In other arenas, this would be called "valuing loss".

[pch 1259]

Speechless regarding the talking to parents who lost children in the '99 collapse hoping their undying loyalty to ATM would have diminished the grief enough for them to approve of and endorse the revival of this turdition.

“The members of the committee and I are extremely sensitive to your loss. I do not want to reopen the many wounds that you have but it is important to me to have your opinion,” Bellinger wrote in the letter, asking to meet with the families.

Sweet Jesus on a joystick there is no end to the insensitive moron who wrote this letter.  As a parent who has lost a child, I just shake my head in disgust at these people who have no concept of what pain still must remain for those unfortunate families.

Edited April 13 by pch

[Longboard Horn 40284]

 

[Orale 1087]

2 hours ago, pch said:

Speechless regarding the talking to parents who lost children in the '99 collapse hoping their undying loyalty to ATM would have diminished the grief enough for them to approve of and endorse the revival of this turdition.

“The members of the committee and I are extremely sensitive to your loss. I do not want to reopen the many wounds that you have but it is important to me to have your opinion,” Bellinger wrote in the letter, asking to meet with the families.

Sweet Jesus on a joystick there is no end to the insensitive moron who wrote this letter.  As a parent who has lost a child, I just shake my head in disgust at these people who have no concept of what pain still must remain for those unfortunate families.

School loyalty aside, it's just objectively truly sickening and enraging. 

[Brisketexan 105043]

School loyalty aside, it's just objectively truly sickening and enraging. 

The bonfire horror has always enraged me. One of MY state institutions, funded in part with MY public dollars, tasked with educating the young people of Texas…was so criminally inept and stupid, ON AN INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL, that it killed 12 of them. What happened wasn’t unfortunate, or negligent, it was fucking criminal.
And what did the institution and culture learn from their actions that murdered 12 of our fellow Texans? Nothing. Not a single. Goddamned. Thing.
Rage. The only thing you should feel for aggy, for eternity, is rage. They are murderers, and always will be, and they’ll hate you for daring to speak the truth to shatter their collective delusion.

[deft 6831]

 

So good. Go read some of the thread that umlang quoted. The fifth quarter ag goes on to let us know that he actually believes that and that he’s also an Econ major at aggy.