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MrPhlegm

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Not a Sock

Not a Sock 2313

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4 hours ago, BigHorn'13 said:

Real conversation with an in law last night who is a fish at aggy. 

Her (no pics)-- yeah the corps is kinda dorky but they're future military so I don't talk bad about them. 

Me-- you realize that it's something like a third who actually go on to serve, right?

Her-- no that's not true. I mean, why would someone do it if they weren't going to serve? 

Me-- remember when you were little how you used to dress and act like a princess? Well...

 

Really feel bad for her too. Never had a chance. Told me she loved UT (and had the grades as valedictorian) but she wants to continue working in agriculture (she's raised and shown pigs for awards, FFA president, deep into ag life.) Found out later she's double majoring in ag(gy)communications and ag(gy) journalism so she can write for coop's or some shit. Thought she was halfway intelligent but after that I knew there was no saving her. /csb

LMAO these kids think they know “Ag life” they don’t know shit. They always end up getting some bullshit ag degree like leadership and the only job they can then find is being an ag teacher in bumble fuck Texas. A&M has so many bullshit majors in their ag department because the FFA is a feeder program for them.

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BigHorn'13

BigHorn'13 3363

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3 hours ago, Vertigo said:

Her life goal is to be a coop journalist?  So much so that she is double majoring for it? I hear that lead editor at the bovine auction monthly is a posh gig (em?)

Yeah, I was astounded. For some reason this girl thinks that in order to continue working in agriculture, which writing for magazines would not be required (one would assume), so it's only natural it would have to be ag(gy) journalism and not just regular old j school. Same for communications. Nope. Just like their stupid fucking conference, I guess it just means more. 

2 hours ago, Not a Sock said:

LMAO these kids think they know “Ag life” they don’t know shit. They always end up getting some bullshit ag degree like leadership and the only job they can then find is being an ag teacher in bumble fuck Texas. A&M has so many bullshit majors in their ag department because the FFA is a feeder program for them.

Correct a mundo. Not like she grew up on a farm either. Small town, but indoctrinated by the environment. I would've understood something in a true agriculture field but she was going there regardless. 

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25936

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1 hour ago, BigHorn'13 said:

Yeah, I was astounded. For some reason this girl thinks that in order to continue working in agriculture, which writing for magazines would not be required (one would assume), so it's only natural it would have to be ag(gy) journalism and not just regular old j school. Same for communications. Nope. Just like their stupid fucking conference, I guess it just means more. 

Correct a mundo. Not like she grew up on a farm either. Small town, but indoctrinated by the environment. I would've understood something in a true agriculture field but she was going there regardless. 

She can write about these wonderful people for 4 years. 

https://animalscience.tamu.edu/students/teams/meat-judging/

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Chopper

Chopper 17235

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siap, Stu Mandel wrote The Athletic's aggy state of the program last week. It's not going to make you want to subscribe, or renew.

Spoiler

By Stewart Mandel May 16, 2019 46 

Eighty years ago this fall, Texas A&M, led by star running back John Kimbrough and a suffocating defense, outscored its 10 regular-season opponents 198-18 to finish undefeated and No. 1 in the final AP poll. The Aggies have yet to pull off the feat again.

When the school handed national championship coach Jimbo Fisher an unprecedented fully-guaranteed $75 million contract in December 2017, it came with a clear mandate to lead Texas A&M back to that lofty perch that’s eluded it these past eight decades. His 9-4 debut season provided just enough highlights — a near-upset of eventual champ Clemson, a thrilling seven-overtime defeat of seventh-ranked LSU and a Gator Bowl rout of then-9-3 N.C. State — to give Aggies faithful hope that their dream can, in fact, become reality.

“We’re looking to take another step being Year 2,” Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond said. “The defense knows Coach (Mike) Elko’s system now, and the offense, we know Jimbo’s system now, so there’s no reason why we can’t be a national-championship caliber team.”

Well, there’s at least one reason: The Aggies’ exceptionally daunting schedule. Fisher’s team will face the nation’s likely preseason No. 1 (Clemson), No. 2 (Alabama) and No. 3 (Georgia) teams, and annual rival LSU won’t be far behind them. There’s a reason Vegas set A&M’s over/under win total at a more modest 7.5.

Also, Fisher hasn’t had enough time yet to stock his own roster. The Aggies have a handful of elite athletes like running back Jashaun Corbin and defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Bobby “Tre” Brown. And Fisher just signed a Top 5 recruiting class featuring seven Top 100 players. But he’ll need a couple more behind that for A&M to approach the level of talent and depth seen at powers like Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.

“We’re getting there,” Fisher said. “We’ve got some guys that can make plays. You’re always trying to continually recruit and get things, but we’ve got some really good guys that can make plays down the field and be physical.”

They’ll certainly get their share of opportunities to measure themselves against the best.

Biggest on-field question

The Texas A&M defense will have an especially big opportunity to measure itself this season.

Elko established himself as one of the nation’s premier defensive coordinators in previous stops at Bowling Green, Wake Forest and Notre Dame. In his first season in College Station, he helped a previously underachieving core of veterans produce the nation’s No. 3 rushing defense.

However, the Aggies finished 107th out of 130 FBS teams in pass efficiency defense, with opponents completing 60.7 percent of their passes for 3,291 yards, 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. And this year’s unit — replacing its top six tacklers last season — will face a murderer’s row of opposing quarterbacks in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Alabama’s Tua Tagovaiola and Georgia’s Jake Fromm.

The Aggies need a big push from Justin Madubuike and his peers up front each week. (John Glaser / USA Today)

The good news is A&M has the potential to field an elite defensive line. The bad news is nearly every experienced linebacker is gone, and a secondary that struggled mightily in 2018 finds itself in a heavy state of flux. And it didn’t help matters that several expected impact players were either out this spring with injuries or hadn’t yet arrived on campus.

The secondary in particular could see Elko mixing and matching pieces well into the season. Cornerbacks Charles Oliver and Debione Renfro and safety Derrick Tucker all started for most of last season, while cornerback Myles Jones and then-freshman safety Leon O’Neal Jr. got their shots in the bowl game. All stand to make significant improvements this season.

But there’s also a sense that A&M is hoping one or more of its touted newcomers will come in and supplant more established players. Chief among them is Elijah Blades, the top-rated junior college cornerback in the country. The Aggies also signed a pair of four-star safeties, Brian Williams and Demani Richardson, both of them Top 100 national recruits. They’ll all arrive this summer.

The sooner those guys can acclimate to college, the better chance Elko can start figuring out some much-needed answers for his pass defense.

Depth chart analysis

Quarterback: Junior Kellen Mond already owns 21 career starts. He showed flashes of greatness last season, most notably throwing for a career-high 430 yards in a near-upset of Clemson, but he needs to become more consistent. In three of A&M’s four losses, Mond failed to complete more than 50 percent of his passes. But the 6-2, 217-pound dual-threat QB, who ran for nearly 700 yards when excluding sack yardage, enters 2019 as the offense’s unquestioned leader. “He has taken tremendous strides,” Fisher said. “He has worked extremely hard to play the game above the neck first.”

Former starter Nick Starkel left as a grad transfer, ultimately landing at Arkansas, which leaves A&M without an experienced backup. Sophomore Connor Blumrick will attempt to stave off redshirt freshman James Fosterand early enrollee Zach Calzada for the No. 2 spot.

Running back: Replacing SEC rushing leader Trayveon Williams (1,760 yards, 18 TDs) might seem like a daunting task, but Fisher and his staff are big believers in Jashaun Corbin. The 6-foot, 207-pound sophomore, who accounted for 853 all-purpose yards last season, is physical, explosive and can catch the ball out of the backfield. “Jashaun Corbin is going to be a really good player,” Fisher said.

The pecking order behind Corbin is less clear, especially after emerging sophomore Vernon Jackson suffered a severe neck injury in practice this spring that put his career in limbo. UCF transfer Cordarrian Richardson (6-0, 246), a third-year sophomore, and redshirt freshman Deneric Prince are promising but unproven. Little-used junior Jacob Kibodi impressed in the spring game with 106 rushing and 53 receiving yards.

Jashaun Corbin could emerge as one of the most dangerous ball carriers in the SEC this season. (Vasha Hunt / USA Today)

Receivers/tight ends: Departed tight end Jace Sternberger was Mond’s go-to target last season, finishing with a team highs in catches (48), yards (832) and TDs (10). Sophomore Glenn Beal (6-5, 260) got reps as a backup last season but may be more of a blocker. Touted early enrollee Baylor Cupp (6-6, 245) could have more of an impact as a receiver.

Four Aggies wideouts — Quartney Davis, Camron Buckley, Jhmon Ausbonand Kendrick Rogers — caught between 27 and 45 passes last season, and they’re all back as juniors. Rogers (6-4, 207) is the most physically impressive and had big games against Clemson and LSU but was mostly quiet in between. Davis (6-2, 200) moved to the slot position midseason and saw his production increase. Ausbon, who missed four games to injury, proved to be a reliable possession receiver. Buckley and yet another junior, Hezekiah Jones, could ultimately be impactful. And then there’s 6-5 redshirt freshman Caleb Chapman, who’ll look to crack the rotation after seeing his first season cut short by an ACL injury.

Four-star signee Jalen Wydermeyer, rated the No. 3 tight end prospect in the state of Texas as a high school senior, could contribute as a freshman.

Offensive line: Standout center Erik McCoy turned pro early and became a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints. Junior Ryan McCollum (6-5, 305), who’s made 13 career starts at guard, spent most of spring as the No. 1 center. A pair of incumbents, senior left tackle Dan Moore (6-5, 325) and junior right tackle Carson Green (6-6, 315), could pave the way for a powerful outside rushing attack.

The interior line is more in flux, though junior Jared Hocker (6-5, 323) has made nine starts and should land one of the guard spots. Senior Colton Prater, who started as a freshman back in 2016, redshirt freshman Luke Matthews(younger brother of former Aggies O-linemen Kevin, Jake and Mike Matthews) and possibly five-star true freshman Kenyon Green should be in the mix as well.

Defensive line: Despite losing three starters, A&M is brimming with talent up front. Fisher is glowing in his assessments of interior linemen Justin Madubuike, the team’s leading returner in tackles (40), tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (5), and Bobby “Tre” Brown, a 6-4, 325-pound sophomore who looked dominant this spring. “Madubuike and Tre Brown will both be very high draft picks,” said Fisher. “Extremely high.” Junior Jayden Peevy (6-6, 298) is developing into a potential force inside as well.

Former junior college transfer Michael Clemons, who missed last season with a foot injury, and third-year sophomore Tyree Johnson enter preseason as the leading candidates to start at the end spots. Both have game experience, with Johnson earning SEC All-Freshman honors last season. Five-star signee DeMarvin Leal enrolled early but missed spring with a knee injury. True sophomores Max Wright and Jeremiah Martin should provide depth.

Linebacker: This position group is shrouded in mystery beyond junior Will LB Buddy Johnson, who has 40 career tackles and made his first career start in the Gator Bowl. He’s physical and plays well in space. Third-year sophomore ILB Anthony Hines made 33 tackles as a true freshman in 2017 but is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in last year’s season opener. Another potential starter, Ikenna Okeke, missed all of last season. Former walk-on Braden White played well in the spring and could provide much-needed leadership in this group. And there will surely be opportunities for the five linebackers A&M signed in this year’s recruiting class, with early enrollee Andre White being one of them.

Secondary: Senior CB Charles Oliver and junior CB Debione Renfro started most of last season but struggled, and junior Myles Jones supplanted Oliver late in the year. Renfro played better this spring. There’s an expectation/hope around the program that Elijah Blades will work his way into the lineup at cornerback. Sophomore free safety Leon O’Neal earned Fisher’s praise throughout spring for his playmaking ability and could emerge as the leader of the secondary. Senior Larry Pryor and junior Derrick Tucker split duties at strong safety last season. Senior Roney Elam and junior Clifford Chatman(who missed all of last season) are most likely to play nickel back.

Special teams: In 2018, senior and Braden Mann broke the NCAA record for punting average (50.98 yards per kick) en route to the Ray Guy Award. “He was a true game-changer,” said Fisher. As a freshman, kicker Seth Smallfinished 20-of-28 on field goal attempts, making two 50-plus kicks. Sophomore receiver Roshauud Paul should remain the primary punt returner, with Quartney Davis in the mix as well. Jashaun Corbin led the SEC in kick returns last season (30.1 yards per return). Fisher said he won’t hesitate to keep him back there even as he now becomes the Aggies’ No. 1 tailback.

How the Aggies have recruited from 2016-19

According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, here is how Texas A&M’s recruiting classes have fared nationally and within the SEC over the past four years:

Former coach Kevin Sumlin signed some monstrous classes shortly after the Johnny Manziel era, landing five-stars like Kyler Murray, Myles Garrett and Christian Kirk, but his success had begun dissipating by the start of this period. His last two classes finished outside the top 12 nationally on 247Sports and did not include a Top 50 player.

With his first full recruiting cycle, Fisher impressively yet unsurprisingly landed A&M’s first Top 5 class since 2014. He particularly cleaned up in-state, signing Texas’ top two recruits (OT Kenyon Green and DT DeMarvin Leal) and six of the top 15. By comparison, Texas and Oklahoma signed two each.

The Aggies loaded up on the offensive and defensive lines, and most notably at defensive back, a position where they’ve struggled recently. Cornerback Erick Young and safeties Brian Williams and Demani Richardson were all Top 100 overall recruits, and Elijah Blades was the nation’s top-rated junior college cornerback.

Expect classes like these to become the norm under Fisher, who at Florida State signed six Top 5 classes in seven years from 2011-17.

Impact of coaching changes

Fisher had to replace two important assistants after last season — tight ends coach Tim Brewster (who left to join Mack Brown at North Carolina) and offensive line coach Jim Turner (now with the Cincinnati Bengals). Brewster, a strong recruiter, came with Fisher from Florida State and had been with him for six seasons. Turner’s was a big loss; he coached at Texas A&M from 2008-11 and 2016-18 and mentored five NFL first- or second-round O-linemen.

In finding Turner’s replacement, Fisher went out and got a proven name in Oklahoma State’s Josh Henson, a former offensive coordinator at Missouri and the recruiting coordinator at LSU for its 2007 national title season. As with many things Texas A&M-related, money was a key attraction for Henson, who got a reported raise from $420,000 to at least $600,000.

The Aggies’ new tight ends coach is 34-year-old Joe Jon Finley, who previously held the same position at Missouri.

Perhaps the most notable personnel change affecting Fisher, however, was not that of his staff but his boss. AD Scott Woodward, the man who hired him in December 2017, left in April for SEC West rival LSU — the same school where the two had overlapped in the early 2000s when Fisher was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. This led to immediate speculation whether Woodward might eventually hire him away again. (Fisher’s enormous contract conveniently includes no buyout should he choose to leave.)

“Scott was one of the reasons I came out here, in terms of the introduction and the comfort level I had with him,” Fisher said in an interview with TexAgs.com. “But after being here, this place is phenomenal, and I plan on being here a long time.”

Schedule analysis

 

You know it’s a daunting schedule when a team has to play in two different Death Valleys in the same season. The Aggies visit reigning national champion Clemson in Week 2. At least there’s a respite against Lamar the week before hosting Auburn and an idle week before their Oct. 12 showdown with Alabama at Kyle Field. The five weeks after that are relatively soft before an absolutely brutal 1-2 punch to end the regular season at Georgia and at LSU, both of which finished in the top 10 last season.

“It’s got guys’ attention,” Fisher said of the schedule. “You know the urgency of what you’ve got to get through.”

Final assessment

The schedule is so difficult that Texas A&M could well field a better team in Fisher’s second season and still find itself fortunate to finish with the regular season with the same 8-4 record. Of course, the Aggies are aiming higher than that.

“Now that we’re in Year 2 (under Fisher), I think we’re going to make huge strides this year and kind of shock a lot of people,” Mond said.

More realistically, this season should serve as a bridge year until 2020, when Mond should be a senior starter, the defense will be much more experienced and the roster will ideally be upgraded thanks to two full Fisher recruiting classes. However, an experienced O-line coupled with a potentially dominant D-line could lay the foundation for a surprising 2019. If Mond takes a particularly big step forward as a junior and some newcomers boost the Aggies’ secondary, it’s conceivable they could upset one or more of those anticipated Top 10 opponents — and in turn, play their way up to a New Year’s Six bowl.

 

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Not a Sock

Not a Sock 2313

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49 minutes ago, Chopper said:

siap, Stu Mandel wrote The Athletic's aggy state of the program last week. It's not going to make you want to subscribe, or renew.

  Reveal hidden contents

By Stewart Mandel May 16, 2019 46 

Eighty years ago this fall, Texas A&M, led by star running back John Kimbrough and a suffocating defense, outscored its 10 regular-season opponents 198-18 to finish undefeated and No. 1 in the final AP poll. The Aggies have yet to pull off the feat again.

When the school handed national championship coach Jimbo Fisher an unprecedented fully-guaranteed $75 million contract in December 2017, it came with a clear mandate to lead Texas A&M back to that lofty perch that’s eluded it these past eight decades. His 9-4 debut season provided just enough highlights — a near-upset of eventual champ Clemson, a thrilling seven-overtime defeat of seventh-ranked LSU and a Gator Bowl rout of then-9-3 N.C. State — to give Aggies faithful hope that their dream can, in fact, become reality.

“We’re looking to take another step being Year 2,” Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond said. “The defense knows Coach (Mike) Elko’s system now, and the offense, we know Jimbo’s system now, so there’s no reason why we can’t be a national-championship caliber team.”

Well, there’s at least one reason: The Aggies’ exceptionally daunting schedule. Fisher’s team will face the nation’s likely preseason No. 1 (Clemson), No. 2 (Alabama) and No. 3 (Georgia) teams, and annual rival LSU won’t be far behind them. There’s a reason Vegas set A&M’s over/under win total at a more modest 7.5.

Also, Fisher hasn’t had enough time yet to stock his own roster. The Aggies have a handful of elite athletes like running back Jashaun Corbin and defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Bobby “Tre” Brown. And Fisher just signed a Top 5 recruiting class featuring seven Top 100 players. But he’ll need a couple more behind that for A&M to approach the level of talent and depth seen at powers like Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.

“We’re getting there,” Fisher said. “We’ve got some guys that can make plays. You’re always trying to continually recruit and get things, but we’ve got some really good guys that can make plays down the field and be physical.”

They’ll certainly get their share of opportunities to measure themselves against the best.

Biggest on-field question

The Texas A&M defense will have an especially big opportunity to measure itself this season.

Elko established himself as one of the nation’s premier defensive coordinators in previous stops at Bowling Green, Wake Forest and Notre Dame. In his first season in College Station, he helped a previously underachieving core of veterans produce the nation’s No. 3 rushing defense.

However, the Aggies finished 107th out of 130 FBS teams in pass efficiency defense, with opponents completing 60.7 percent of their passes for 3,291 yards, 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. And this year’s unit — replacing its top six tacklers last season — will face a murderer’s row of opposing quarterbacks in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Alabama’s Tua Tagovaiola and Georgia’s Jake Fromm.

The Aggies need a big push from Justin Madubuike and his peers up front each week. (John Glaser / USA Today)

The good news is A&M has the potential to field an elite defensive line. The bad news is nearly every experienced linebacker is gone, and a secondary that struggled mightily in 2018 finds itself in a heavy state of flux. And it didn’t help matters that several expected impact players were either out this spring with injuries or hadn’t yet arrived on campus.

The secondary in particular could see Elko mixing and matching pieces well into the season. Cornerbacks Charles Oliver and Debione Renfro and safety Derrick Tucker all started for most of last season, while cornerback Myles Jones and then-freshman safety Leon O’Neal Jr. got their shots in the bowl game. All stand to make significant improvements this season.

But there’s also a sense that A&M is hoping one or more of its touted newcomers will come in and supplant more established players. Chief among them is Elijah Blades, the top-rated junior college cornerback in the country. The Aggies also signed a pair of four-star safeties, Brian Williams and Demani Richardson, both of them Top 100 national recruits. They’ll all arrive this summer.

The sooner those guys can acclimate to college, the better chance Elko can start figuring out some much-needed answers for his pass defense.

Depth chart analysis

Quarterback: Junior Kellen Mond already owns 21 career starts. He showed flashes of greatness last season, most notably throwing for a career-high 430 yards in a near-upset of Clemson, but he needs to become more consistent. In three of A&M’s four losses, Mond failed to complete more than 50 percent of his passes. But the 6-2, 217-pound dual-threat QB, who ran for nearly 700 yards when excluding sack yardage, enters 2019 as the offense’s unquestioned leader. “He has taken tremendous strides,” Fisher said. “He has worked extremely hard to play the game above the neck first.”

Former starter Nick Starkel left as a grad transfer, ultimately landing at Arkansas, which leaves A&M without an experienced backup. Sophomore Connor Blumrick will attempt to stave off redshirt freshman James Fosterand early enrollee Zach Calzada for the No. 2 spot.

Running back: Replacing SEC rushing leader Trayveon Williams (1,760 yards, 18 TDs) might seem like a daunting task, but Fisher and his staff are big believers in Jashaun Corbin. The 6-foot, 207-pound sophomore, who accounted for 853 all-purpose yards last season, is physical, explosive and can catch the ball out of the backfield. “Jashaun Corbin is going to be a really good player,” Fisher said.

The pecking order behind Corbin is less clear, especially after emerging sophomore Vernon Jackson suffered a severe neck injury in practice this spring that put his career in limbo. UCF transfer Cordarrian Richardson (6-0, 246), a third-year sophomore, and redshirt freshman Deneric Prince are promising but unproven. Little-used junior Jacob Kibodi impressed in the spring game with 106 rushing and 53 receiving yards.

Jashaun Corbin could emerge as one of the most dangerous ball carriers in the SEC this season. (Vasha Hunt / USA Today)

Receivers/tight ends: Departed tight end Jace Sternberger was Mond’s go-to target last season, finishing with a team highs in catches (48), yards (832) and TDs (10). Sophomore Glenn Beal (6-5, 260) got reps as a backup last season but may be more of a blocker. Touted early enrollee Baylor Cupp (6-6, 245) could have more of an impact as a receiver.

Four Aggies wideouts — Quartney Davis, Camron Buckley, Jhmon Ausbonand Kendrick Rogers — caught between 27 and 45 passes last season, and they’re all back as juniors. Rogers (6-4, 207) is the most physically impressive and had big games against Clemson and LSU but was mostly quiet in between. Davis (6-2, 200) moved to the slot position midseason and saw his production increase. Ausbon, who missed four games to injury, proved to be a reliable possession receiver. Buckley and yet another junior, Hezekiah Jones, could ultimately be impactful. And then there’s 6-5 redshirt freshman Caleb Chapman, who’ll look to crack the rotation after seeing his first season cut short by an ACL injury.

Four-star signee Jalen Wydermeyer, rated the No. 3 tight end prospect in the state of Texas as a high school senior, could contribute as a freshman.

Offensive line: Standout center Erik McCoy turned pro early and became a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints. Junior Ryan McCollum (6-5, 305), who’s made 13 career starts at guard, spent most of spring as the No. 1 center. A pair of incumbents, senior left tackle Dan Moore (6-5, 325) and junior right tackle Carson Green (6-6, 315), could pave the way for a powerful outside rushing attack.

The interior line is more in flux, though junior Jared Hocker (6-5, 323) has made nine starts and should land one of the guard spots. Senior Colton Prater, who started as a freshman back in 2016, redshirt freshman Luke Matthews(younger brother of former Aggies O-linemen Kevin, Jake and Mike Matthews) and possibly five-star true freshman Kenyon Green should be in the mix as well.

Defensive line: Despite losing three starters, A&M is brimming with talent up front. Fisher is glowing in his assessments of interior linemen Justin Madubuike, the team’s leading returner in tackles (40), tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (5), and Bobby “Tre” Brown, a 6-4, 325-pound sophomore who looked dominant this spring. “Madubuike and Tre Brown will both be very high draft picks,” said Fisher. “Extremely high.” Junior Jayden Peevy (6-6, 298) is developing into a potential force inside as well.

Former junior college transfer Michael Clemons, who missed last season with a foot injury, and third-year sophomore Tyree Johnson enter preseason as the leading candidates to start at the end spots. Both have game experience, with Johnson earning SEC All-Freshman honors last season. Five-star signee DeMarvin Leal enrolled early but missed spring with a knee injury. True sophomores Max Wright and Jeremiah Martin should provide depth.

Linebacker: This position group is shrouded in mystery beyond junior Will LB Buddy Johnson, who has 40 career tackles and made his first career start in the Gator Bowl. He’s physical and plays well in space. Third-year sophomore ILB Anthony Hines made 33 tackles as a true freshman in 2017 but is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in last year’s season opener. Another potential starter, Ikenna Okeke, missed all of last season. Former walk-on Braden White played well in the spring and could provide much-needed leadership in this group. And there will surely be opportunities for the five linebackers A&M signed in this year’s recruiting class, with early enrollee Andre White being one of them.

Secondary: Senior CB Charles Oliver and junior CB Debione Renfro started most of last season but struggled, and junior Myles Jones supplanted Oliver late in the year. Renfro played better this spring. There’s an expectation/hope around the program that Elijah Blades will work his way into the lineup at cornerback. Sophomore free safety Leon O’Neal earned Fisher’s praise throughout spring for his playmaking ability and could emerge as the leader of the secondary. Senior Larry Pryor and junior Derrick Tucker split duties at strong safety last season. Senior Roney Elam and junior Clifford Chatman(who missed all of last season) are most likely to play nickel back.

Special teams: In 2018, senior and Braden Mann broke the NCAA record for punting average (50.98 yards per kick) en route to the Ray Guy Award. “He was a true game-changer,” said Fisher. As a freshman, kicker Seth Smallfinished 20-of-28 on field goal attempts, making two 50-plus kicks. Sophomore receiver Roshauud Paul should remain the primary punt returner, with Quartney Davis in the mix as well. Jashaun Corbin led the SEC in kick returns last season (30.1 yards per return). Fisher said he won’t hesitate to keep him back there even as he now becomes the Aggies’ No. 1 tailback.

How the Aggies have recruited from 2016-19

According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, here is how Texas A&M’s recruiting classes have fared nationally and within the SEC over the past four years:

Former coach Kevin Sumlin signed some monstrous classes shortly after the Johnny Manziel era, landing five-stars like Kyler Murray, Myles Garrett and Christian Kirk, but his success had begun dissipating by the start of this period. His last two classes finished outside the top 12 nationally on 247Sports and did not include a Top 50 player.

With his first full recruiting cycle, Fisher impressively yet unsurprisingly landed A&M’s first Top 5 class since 2014. He particularly cleaned up in-state, signing Texas’ top two recruits (OT Kenyon Green and DT DeMarvin Leal) and six of the top 15. By comparison, Texas and Oklahoma signed two each.

The Aggies loaded up on the offensive and defensive lines, and most notably at defensive back, a position where they’ve struggled recently. Cornerback Erick Young and safeties Brian Williams and Demani Richardson were all Top 100 overall recruits, and Elijah Blades was the nation’s top-rated junior college cornerback.

Expect classes like these to become the norm under Fisher, who at Florida State signed six Top 5 classes in seven years from 2011-17.

Impact of coaching changes

Fisher had to replace two important assistants after last season — tight ends coach Tim Brewster (who left to join Mack Brown at North Carolina) and offensive line coach Jim Turner (now with the Cincinnati Bengals). Brewster, a strong recruiter, came with Fisher from Florida State and had been with him for six seasons. Turner’s was a big loss; he coached at Texas A&M from 2008-11 and 2016-18 and mentored five NFL first- or second-round O-linemen.

In finding Turner’s replacement, Fisher went out and got a proven name in Oklahoma State’s Josh Henson, a former offensive coordinator at Missouri and the recruiting coordinator at LSU for its 2007 national title season. As with many things Texas A&M-related, money was a key attraction for Henson, who got a reported raise from $420,000 to at least $600,000.

The Aggies’ new tight ends coach is 34-year-old Joe Jon Finley, who previously held the same position at Missouri.

Perhaps the most notable personnel change affecting Fisher, however, was not that of his staff but his boss. AD Scott Woodward, the man who hired him in December 2017, left in April for SEC West rival LSU — the same school where the two had overlapped in the early 2000s when Fisher was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. This led to immediate speculation whether Woodward might eventually hire him away again. (Fisher’s enormous contract conveniently includes no buyout should he choose to leave.)

“Scott was one of the reasons I came out here, in terms of the introduction and the comfort level I had with him,” Fisher said in an interview with TexAgs.com. “But after being here, this place is phenomenal, and I plan on being here a long time.”

Schedule analysis

 

You know it’s a daunting schedule when a team has to play in two different Death Valleys in the same season. The Aggies visit reigning national champion Clemson in Week 2. At least there’s a respite against Lamar the week before hosting Auburn and an idle week before their Oct. 12 showdown with Alabama at Kyle Field. The five weeks after that are relatively soft before an absolutely brutal 1-2 punch to end the regular season at Georgia and at LSU, both of which finished in the top 10 last season.

“It’s got guys’ attention,” Fisher said of the schedule. “You know the urgency of what you’ve got to get through.”

Final assessment

The schedule is so difficult that Texas A&M could well field a better team in Fisher’s second season and still find itself fortunate to finish with the regular season with the same 8-4 record. Of course, the Aggies are aiming higher than that.

“Now that we’re in Year 2 (under Fisher), I think we’re going to make huge strides this year and kind of shock a lot of people,” Mond said.

More realistically, this season should serve as a bridge year until 2020, when Mond should be a senior starter, the defense will be much more experienced and the roster will ideally be upgraded thanks to two full Fisher recruiting classes. However, an experienced O-line coupled with a potentially dominant D-line could lay the foundation for a surprising 2019. If Mond takes a particularly big step forward as a junior and some newcomers boost the Aggies’ secondary, it’s conceivable they could upset one or more of those anticipated Top 10 opponents — and in turn, play their way up to a New Year’s Six bowl.

 

LMAO Stu is one of the last people I would ever take any sort of actual football insight from. He is a pretty good writer on the Macros of college football but he is way out of his element on the actual football side.

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Chopper

Chopper 17235

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

LMAO Stu is one of the last people I would ever take any sort of actual football insight from. He is a pretty good writer on the Macros of college football but he is way out of his element on the actual football side.

I agree. On the podcast he does with Feldman he brought up how jimbo's fsu classes were all highly ranked but how he coached the team to shit results. I was slightly surprised that didn't make it into the article, but he seems to accentuate the positive as much as he can.

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Not a Sock

Not a Sock 2313

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Chopper said:

I agree. On the podcast he does with Feldman he brought up how jimbo's fsu classes were all highly ranked but how he coached the team to shit results. I was slightly surprised that didn't make it into the article, but he seems to accentuate the positive as much as he can.

He will kinda get swept up in things and bandwagons often making some huge assumptions. I still like him though because he does cut through all the bullshit every once in a while when there is a big controversy in college football. 

Edited by Not a Sock
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BigDSteve

BigDSteve 56

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, BurntEyes said:

Hey now guys, I enhanced just to be sure, and I would definitely hit top left blonde. 1 out of 15 ain't bad. Oh for the record 

Top x x 7 x x x x x x x 10 x x 

Lower x x x x  x x x x 

What can I say, I'm thirsty.

I don’t know, the girl with the flat top head has interesting possibilities.

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SwanderedTalent

SwanderedTalent 5761

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Posted (edited)

I told my wife one of my favorite Aggie jokes this morning and she didn't appreciate so here it is.

These two Aggies are walking down a country road when they find a sheep with its head stuck in a fence. The first Aggie doesn't hesitate, walks over to it and drops his pants and rapes the shit out of it. When he finishes, he looks over at his buddy and says, "All right Elmer, now it's your turn."

Elmer takes a minute, looks at the sheep, looks at the first Aggie, looks back at the sheep, and then says "welp.... alright... but do I hafta put my head through the fence?"

Edited by SwanderedTalent
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Orange&White

Orange&White 5528

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, tantric superman said:

Henry Cisneros is a Good Bull, or a redbutt, or he he humps it, whatever is good.

He also created the policies that led to the financial collapse in 2008 while working for Bill Clinton as the HUD director, and then retired in shame after it broke that he was paying his mistress. 

But other than that, yeah, good bull.

 

 

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Deej said:

At the vet school again today. Some folks in the waiting room eating Dixie Chicken takeout and watching Paul Finebaum on the lobby tv. Seems about right.

Dixie Chicken takeout? Seriously? I mean, I could sorta understand someone going in to that joint if they are actually aggy (tradition and whatnot), but voluntarily eating that slop because it's food? That is some serious dementia right there.

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Deej

Deej 76786

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Posted
Dixie Chicken takeout? Seriously? I mean, I could sorta understand someone going in to that joint if they are actually aggy (tradition and whatnot), but voluntarily eating that slop because it's food? That is some serious dementia right there.
Can't read the cup in the photo, but it's a Dixie Chicken styrofoam cup he brought in with a bag of to-go food.



b3f755e0c21ab6ad02d5517da6a8db54.jpg
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SydneyCarton

SydneyCarton 48103

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Yeah, they don't look like the kind of people who will be competing on Top Chef any time soon. I guess overcooked hamburgers and soggy steak fries washed down with flat coca-cola is pretty standard fare there.

You just don't fucking get it, your stupid t-sip. Being an Aggy is about supporting Aggy culture, and that includes Aggy branded business. Freebirds? Fuck yes, that is some aggy owned and operated shit. Buc-ee's makes the best goddamn gas stations and bathrooms man has ever seen, and you're goddamn right I'll pinch the tip of my dick like an angry crawdad and drive an extra 45 minutes just to give them my money. And sometimes that money is for a new pair of jorts because I piss'd the set I was wearin'.

Dixie Chicken is universally beloved as a part of Aggy Lore and College Station life. It's like consuming a little piece of Texas A&M when I cant find me a sheeps asshole to eat. Tra. Dition. But you wouldn't know anything about consumer loyalty, you fehg. Whoop!

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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Posted
2 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

You just don't fucking get it, your stupid t-sip. Being an Aggy is about supporting Aggy culture, and that includes Aggy branded business. Freebirds? Fuck yes, that is some aggy owned and operated shit. Buc-ee's makes the best goddamn gas stations and bathrooms man has ever seen, and you're goddamn right I'll pinch the tip of my dick like an angry crawdad and drive an extra 45 minutes just to give them my money. And sometimes that money is for a new pair of jorts because I piss'd the set I was wearin'.

Dixie Chicken is universally beloved as a part of Aggy Lore and College Station life. It's like consuming a little piece of Texas A&M when I cant find me a sheeps asshole to eat. Tra. Dition. But you wouldn't know anything about consumer loyalty, you fehg. Whoop!

giphy.gif

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