Texas A&M Recruiting 2025: The Land of Melk & No Money

[Redneck Mutha 7,953]

aggy smoke

[RollLeft 5,040]

15 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

Elko putting in the effort to get the details right!

 

 

 

 

[MirrOlure 14,754]

That looks like a goddamn Ozempic “before” picture

[closetojumping 62,510]

USC is going to cost the aggies a pretty penny, if nothing else. 

3 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

Sounds like some sort of weird religion he's into. Sentient smoke forming opinions but being fallible. A relatable deity. The smoke always continues, but can sometimes be wrong. Pray to it, and you will grab some momentum.

Or it's just lack of imagination. 

I think this was a storyline in Lost, but it’s been awhile. 

[DigglerontheHoof 21,168]

How do his legs support his body?

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,175]

33 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

How do his legs support his body?

No kidding. You would think at the very least he would have calves to help out, but nope, just sticks. Some weird Haitian voodoo shit. 

[Deej 76,750]

38 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

How do his legs support his body?

He's built like most of the middle-aged Hispanic women who staff my local Super Mercado.

[gofuckyourself 8,196]

45 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

How do his legs support his body?

Maybe a girdle to help hold it close for better balance. And he can probably afford some nice, supportive orthopedic shoes with the new job salary bump.

Wait ... Elko or the aggy recruit?

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,175]

Get Sanders some Hokas shoes and he and Elko can match. 

[RollLeft 5,040]

32 minutes ago, Deej said:

He's built like most of the middle-aged Hispanic women who staff my local Super Mercado.

Whatever happened to Vic anyway??

[Cairn Horn88 8,259]

12 minutes ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Get Sanders some Hokas shoes and he and Elko can match. 

Elko Hokas…. now that’s a great name….for an aggy.

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,175]

33 minutes ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

Elko Hokas…. now that’s a great name….for an aggy.

His name shall now be known as...Elko Hokas. 

[closetojumping 62,510]

Maybe Elko is secretly growing a turtle shell on his back under those muumuus. With Sanders, he’s begun building his army of mushroom henchmen and he’s getting ever closer to launching his plot to capture a local princess or something. 

[DigglerontheHoof 21,168]

7 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

Maybe a girdle to help hold it close for better balance. And he can probably afford some nice, supportive orthopedic shoes with the new job salary bump.

Wait ... Elko or the aggy recruit?

[General Specific 3,252]

Elko putting in the effort to get the details right!

 

Damn Elko, save some Ozempic for the rest of us!

[Doc Daneeka 6,769]

1 hour ago, General Specific said:

Damn Elko, save some Ozempic for the rest of us!

It looks like he’s saving all of it. 

[derp 755]

15 hours ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

How do his legs support his body?

With that body, if he walks, every day is leg day.

[Texas Wahoo 3,389]

13 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Maybe Elko is secretly growing a turtle shell on his back under those muumuus. With Sanders, he’s begun building his army of mushroom henchmen and he’s getting ever closer to launching his plot to capture a local princess or something. 

It looks like he's growing the shell on his front.  

[Hookem2147 21,188]

 

[Funk Doctor Spock 12,175]

That roster is so perfect. The losses and excuses will be delicious. Weigman going down by game 3 would be par for the course. Moss is below average, and his 5 star backup is even worse. Their WRa are laughably average. That O-line will absolutely crumble. 

Edited August 11 by Spider2YBanana

[TheBryMan81 2,508]

5 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

 

 

[Not a Sock 2,311]

A “talented” roster that is filled with holes recruited by a washed up national championship coach with soft ass entitled culture who got fired and replaced with a defensive minded coach who had some short success with an elite quarterback at a mediocre ACC program.  Who is now going to toughen up the team with and is emphasizing recruiting real tough football players instead of entitled 5*. Also a University President being pushed out do to political chaos and athletic department headed by a disliked penny pinching AD. Is A&M 2014 Texas?

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[BornAndRaised 12,281]

Damn, their RB1 is out too?

[Sabalo 994]

41 minutes ago, Machinator said:

 

It seems karma is a bitch.

[Mother mopar 3,318]

Tough break

[Scholz 11,938]

57 minutes ago, Sabalo said:

It seems karma is a bitch.

I feel bad for the kid (one of my sons tore his ACL in football so I wouldn’t wish that on anyone).
 

But it warms my heart to absolutely know that the aggy dickheads who cheered Baxter’s injury are crying in their beer today.

[Harvdog 2,287]

Aggies needs to tell Rueben’s dad that when someone tells him to “break a leg” before a game, there is no money in that.  How will they make it through the meat grinder without their RB1? 😉

[TexMexBuddha 987]

Sucks for the kid. Fuck aggy for their Baxter take. Stupid asses.

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,390]

They are saying now that Owens is out for the season.

[Tex Pete 20,326]

17 hours ago, BornAndRaised said:

Damn, their RB1 is out too?

Nah, I think Weigman is healthy-ish. For now. 

[Hookem2147 21,188]

 

[BornAndRaised 12,281]

15 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

 

3 positions for him now? Trying to outdo Travis Hunter?

[Tex Pete 20,326]

8 minutes ago, BornAndRaised said:

3 positions for him now? Trying to outdo Travis Hunter?

If he gets a concussion at one position, can they still play him at the other two positions?

[BornAndRaised 12,281]

1 minute ago, Tex Pete said:

If he gets a concussion at one position, can they still play him at the other two positions?

With enough jersey numbers?

[RollLeft 5,040]

[Gil Bang 25,907]

On 8/8/2024 at 4:25 PM, MirrOlure said:

That looks like a goddamn Ozempic “before” picture

"hey look...it's 'before' and 'way before'...heh heh Hey Ton', I said they look like 'before' and 'way before'"

[RomaVicta 29,896]

I see Elko is pulling in a few players for next year that are middling rated defenders. Still, I as the question here: Is Elko a great talent evaluator? He's earned his reputation as a coordinator, but does anyone know his abilities to evaluate?

They're unprejudiced question(s). I have no idea of the answers.

[Plorant 799]

3 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

I see Elko is pulling in a few players for next year that are middling rated defenders. Still, I as the question here: Is Elko a great talent evaluator? He's earned his reputation as a coordinator, but does anyone know his abilities to evaluate?

They're unprejudiced question(s). I have no idea of the answers.

Yeah, he's an amazing evaluator.  He can go on and on about various wines, liquors, and beer.  He's probably the best in the business.  He's tried them all.  

[Longhornfrenzy 5,675]

[billfromlaketravis 11,445]

What does it mean to be a in better spot than most people think? Fasusi is obviously picking OU and Jonah Williams wasn’t going to aggy the second Schloss left. 

Edited August 16 by billfromlaketravis

[SarkAfterDark 1,688]

3 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

What does it mean to be a in better spot than most people think? Fasusi is obviously picking OU and Jonah Williams wasn’t going to aggy the second Schloss left. 

They are in 3rd place instead of 4th? It all culminates in both players not choosing A&M but he has to feed his base something. And they are collectively too stupid to call him out on that BS rhetoric.

[closetojumping 62,510]

I feel like I'm getting a feel for diciphering Carter Karels coded messages being sent into the atmosphere for the outside world while captured deep behind The Elk's occupationist lines. 

I've spoilered the full post from a Wednesday practice update, but here are highlights, as far as I know them from reading his code plus what my friends are hearing or knowing as well:

-They're starting to softpedal the notion that Marcel Reed is a better fit at QB for Klein's offense. I'm starting to see this pop up from both mods and also posters known to have some access. The logic is as basic and stereotypical as we would expect (which does make the cynic in me pause) - they don't have speed at the skill positions and they're going to need a mobile QB to make the offense click. Klein wants to run the QB, a lot, and they cannot comfortably do that with Weigatron. This is something to keep an eye on. If Liucci starts touting Reed before the ND game as well, the dam is breaking.

-In spite of all of their efforts regarding bringing in guys from the portal, they're about to be playing Sanford as the LB next to York. York is undersized and slow. Sanford is very fast but, if prior reports have any merit, tends to just run around a lot. 

-Another similar instance is at CB, where the second starter is lining up to be Jayvion Thomas, rather than any of the portal transfer such as Ricks (5 star) and Lee (the esteemed KSU savior). There is no spin capable of washing off the stains of the claims made for the others. Hell, Liucci was talking all of them up on the radio yesterday. Right.

-They really, really lack offensive speed and they're starting to realize it. One guy is yearning on their boards for the tiny true freshman to play and he has trouble finding the fields for practice. None of the older WRs can beat anyone deep or out of a cut. Actually the one guy who can do that isn't close to healthy and might not play this year (the transfer from one of the FCS schools they were touting in the spring). They have no one at TB that can get around the edge consistently. 

-Gabriel Brownlow Dindy has shown up healthy for the first time in his career. These guys seem to believe that that pussy will stay that way. Color me dubious. 

-Depsite DJ Hicks having the 5 star pedigree and being paid $1M per year, Regis is outplaying him. Karels could never say this, but Hicks is the definition of "dead money" if he's not starting and playing regularly. Elko wants to play Regis. This is a coaching/booster conflict waiting to happen and worth watching this season. 

-Outside of the QB hinting, the OL update is the biggest and funniest shit I've seen from them. 

---Fatheree is nowhere to be found in the starting lineup and may not be running second team at RT. He still "isn't the same" since his mysterious injury like 18 months ago. I think this guy is being pushed through the program to get his degree and move on and they'd rather not have him publicly leave as another OL bust. 

---The presumptive starting RT is the former KU guard that transferred in after being processed by Leipold. This is really fucking hilarious. 

---They "need" Bisontis and Nabou to be badasses at both G positions because of problems at RT and C. This OL is going to be one of the worst OLs in P4 and they're going to get QBs killed. Defenses will not have to play off the ball with concern toward anyone getting behind them or any TBs beating them to the edge. 

Spoiler

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M held its 12th football practice of preseason camp Wednesday on the two outdoor Coolidge Practice Fields. A&M players wore full pads for the practice.

GigEm247 and the other media members in attendance were permitted to observe, film video and take pictures for the first six periods (approximately 20-30 minutes) of the practice. Our highlights from those six periods can be found here. We were all permitted to observe the entire practice but can only report on what we saw from the first six periods.

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the team-imposed restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of major takeaways from the practice. Additionally, while the media watched, the Aggies were not put in any competitive settings like one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven work or 11-on-11 action.

GigEm247 primarily watched the defense. Here are some notes and takeaways from the six media-observed periods, along with analysis from what we have learned from sources.

Aggie defense overview

With preseason camp coming to a close soon for the Aggies, I thought I would give a brief overview of where their defense is now.

My confidence in the group has not been higher all offseason.

The defensive line could be one of the best in the country this season. We have talked a lot about the trio of defensive linemen who look poised to have long, successful NFL careers: defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. They have only continued to impress.

The player who is not getting enough hype, though, is Bowling Green defensive end transfer Cashius Howell.

Now, Howell technically will not be considered a starter. But his impact might be starter-esque. Would I be surprised if he finished second on the team in sacks, behind Scourton? No. He has the potential to be a real weapon off the edge, particularly in third-and-long packages. 

Perhaps what has been the most encouraging development, though, is the secondary. Beyond maybe safety Bryce Anderson, A&M probably does not have any defensive backs who will sniff All-SEC honors this season. But the unit does not have any glaring liabilities, which could not be said about them last season. It seems to be a much, much better group collectively.

While the Aggies are set at middle linebacker with incumbent starter Taurean York, there has been a battle for the other spot. Sophomore Daymion Sanford figures to be the favorite to secure the starting role. Among the group of A&M linebackers, Sanford has looked the most fluid and athletic during position drills. If he ran a 40-yard dash today, it would probably be at around 4.5 seconds. That is pretty good for a linebacker.  

Florida transfer Scooby Williams has been pushing Sanford. Pittsburgh transfer Solomon DeShields, who arrived at A&M in June, appears to be behind Sanford and Williams.

Ascending players

Defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Albert Regis, cornerback Jayvon Thomas, safety Dalton Brooks, quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Micah Tease are among players who are on the rise.

Over the last couple years, Brownlow-Dindy has understandably fascinated the Aggie fan base. How could a former-five star recruit like Brownlow-Dindy who looks the part and then some never come close to sniffing the field (for the most part)? The answer is simple: injuries.

Various injuries have kept Brownlow-Dindy out of a ton of practices and games. He missed part of the spring with an undisclosed injury, too. But Brownlow-Dindy has recently been more available than ever, and his presence has been felt. Whether Brownlow-Dindy will crack the two-deep remains unclear, but there is a real chance it happens. 

Going into the offseason, sophomore DJ Hicks figured to be the favorite to start at defensive tackle next to Turner. However, Regis has pushed Hicks hard for that spot. Do not be surprised if Regis begins the season as the starter there.

Thomas could be another surprise starter. Throughout preseason camp, Thomas has received a lot of meaningful opportunities. Still, it might be a tall task for him to beat out players like incumbent starter Tyreek Chappell, Kansas State transfer Will Lee III and former five-star recruit Dezz Ricks.

From an eye test standpoint, Brooks has stood out during drills. He has made a sizable weight gain this offseason, going from 185 pounds to 200. Anderson will be one of the starting safeties for the Aggies. The other spot very well could go to Brooks.

Two offensive players, Reed and Tease, are worth mentioning.

Since the spring game, I have felt that Reed would be a better backup quarterback than Jaylen Henderson. He has shown nothing over the last couple weeks to change that opinion. If anything, Reed has made me even more confident about it.

Tease has always shown flashes in small sample sizes,  but as a true freshman last season, he was buried on the depth chart. Now, that does not appear to be the case. He might even challenge Louisiana Tech transfer Cyrus Allen for a starting spot.  

Specific practice musings

• With the Aggies having a new coaching staff, I have tried to gain a sense of what each assistant is like personality-wise while at practice. This group is a mixed bag of personalities.

For instance, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein and defensive line coach Tony Jerod-Eddie are some of the more reserved coaches I have seen. You almost never hear their voices during practice unless you are close to them. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide are the total opposite. They bring the energy, and they are yellers who you can hear from quite a bit of distance away.

Aristide is easily my favorite coach to watch during practices. He brings an infectious energy and strikes an ideal balance of getting on players but not going full Steve Addazio. I also enjoy his sense of humor. For an example, one cornerback did not give his best effort on one ball-stripping drill rep Wednesday, and instead of chewing him out, Aristide threw his hands into the air, shrugged and melodramatically acted like someone killed his cat. 

• In a clip from practice that the A&M football X account posted Wednesday, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr. and Kansas transfer Ar'maj Reed-Adams are lined up as the starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Check the 52-second mark below.

That pairing is not as surprising as it might seem. Per sources, the Aggies used Trey Zuhn III (left tackle), Chase Bisontis (left guard), Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah), Nabou (right guard) and Reed-Adams (right tackle) as their starting offensive line at times during their first scrimmage of preseason camp last Saturday.

More ?????? & ?????? from fall camp ?#GigEm pic.twitter.com/kCII4piGb4

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 14, 2024

• Beyond running back Rueben Owens II, who ESPN reported is out for the season with a lower-body injury, the Aggies looked to be relatively healthy. The media is prohibited from disclosing if certain players did not participate in practice. So in more broad terms, there did not appear to be any major concerns in addition to Owens.

• During position drills, Scourton and Stewart spent time away from the other defensive ends to work on their pass-rush moves.

 

[Tex Pete 20,326]

22 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

• Beyond running back Rueben Owens II, who ESPN reported is out for the season with a lower-body injury, the Aggies looked to be relatively healthy. The media is prohibited from disclosing if certain players did not participate in practice. So in more broad terms, there did not appear to be any major concerns in addition to Owens.

Everything about this is amazing. They're terrified of Elko and they just take it.

It's a good thing all their recruiting reporters are all boosters and willing AD mouthpieces or they would push back.

[Katfid54 8,596]

46 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I feel like I'm getting a feel for diciphering Carter Karels coded messages being sent into the atmosphere for the outside world while captured deep behind The Elk's occupationist lines. 

I've spoilered the full post from a Wednesday practice update, but here are highlights, as far as I know them from reading his code plus what my friends are hearing or knowing as well:

-They're starting to softpedal the notion that Marcel Reed is a better fit at QB for Klein's offense. I'm starting to see this pop up from both mods and also posters known to have some access. The logic is as basic and stereotypical as we would expect (which does make the cynic in me pause) - they don't have speed at the skill positions and they're going to need a mobile QB to make the offense click. Klein wants to run the QB, a lot, and they cannot comfortably do that with Weigatron. This is something to keep an eye on. If Liucci starts touting Reed before the ND game as well, the dam is breaking.

-In spite of all of their efforts regarding bringing in guys from the portal, they're about to be playing Sanford as the LB next to York. York is undersized and slow. Sanford is very fast but, if prior reports have any merit, tends to just run around a lot. 

-Another similar instance is at CB, where the second starter is lining up to be Jayvion Thomas, rather than any of the portal transfer such as Ricks (5 star) and Lee (the esteemed KSU savior). There is no spin capable of washing off the stains of the claims made for the others. Hell, Liucci was talking all of them up on the radio yesterday. Right.

-They really, really lack offensive speed and they're starting to realize it. One guy is yearning on their boards for the tiny true freshman to play and he has trouble finding the fields for practice. None of the older WRs can beat anyone deep or out of a cut. Actually the one guy who can do that isn't close to healthy and might not play this year (the transfer from one of the FCS schools they were touting in the spring). They have no one at TB that can get around the edge consistently. 

-Gabriel Brownlow Dindy has shown up healthy for the first time in his career. These guys seem to believe that that pussy will stay that way. Color me dubious. 

-Depsite DJ Hicks having the 5 star pedigree and being paid $1M per year, Regis is outplaying him. Karels could never say this, but Hicks is the definition of "dead money" if he's not starting and playing regularly. Elko wants to play Regis. This is a coaching/booster conflict waiting to happen and worth watching this season. 

-Outside of the QB hinting, the OL update is the biggest and funniest shit I've seen from them. 

---Fatheree is nowhere to be found in the starting lineup and may not be running second team at RT. He still "isn't the same" since his mysterious injury like 18 months ago. I think this guy is being pushed through the program to get his degree and move on and they'd rather not have him publicly leave as another OL bust. 

---The presumptive starting RT is the former KU guard that transferred in after being processed by Leipold. This is really fucking hilarious. 

---They "need" Bisontis and Nabou to be badasses at both G positions because of problems at RT and C. This OL is going to be one of the worst OLs in P4 and they're going to get QBs killed. Defenses will not have to play off the ball with concern toward anyone getting behind them or any TBs beating them to the edge. 

  Reveal hidden contents

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M held its 12th football practice of preseason camp Wednesday on the two outdoor Coolidge Practice Fields. A&M players wore full pads for the practice.

GigEm247 and the other media members in attendance were permitted to observe, film video and take pictures for the first six periods (approximately 20-30 minutes) of the practice. Our highlights from those six periods can be found here. We were all permitted to observe the entire practice but can only report on what we saw from the first six periods.

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the team-imposed restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of major takeaways from the practice. Additionally, while the media watched, the Aggies were not put in any competitive settings like one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven work or 11-on-11 action.

GigEm247 primarily watched the defense. Here are some notes and takeaways from the six media-observed periods, along with analysis from what we have learned from sources.

Aggie defense overview

With preseason camp coming to a close soon for the Aggies, I thought I would give a brief overview of where their defense is now.

My confidence in the group has not been higher all offseason.

The defensive line could be one of the best in the country this season. We have talked a lot about the trio of defensive linemen who look poised to have long, successful NFL careers: defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. They have only continued to impress.

The player who is not getting enough hype, though, is Bowling Green defensive end transfer Cashius Howell.

Now, Howell technically will not be considered a starter. But his impact might be starter-esque. Would I be surprised if he finished second on the team in sacks, behind Scourton? No. He has the potential to be a real weapon off the edge, particularly in third-and-long packages. 

Perhaps what has been the most encouraging development, though, is the secondary. Beyond maybe safety Bryce Anderson, A&M probably does not have any defensive backs who will sniff All-SEC honors this season. But the unit does not have any glaring liabilities, which could not be said about them last season. It seems to be a much, much better group collectively.

While the Aggies are set at middle linebacker with incumbent starter Taurean York, there has been a battle for the other spot. Sophomore Daymion Sanford figures to be the favorite to secure the starting role. Among the group of A&M linebackers, Sanford has looked the most fluid and athletic during position drills. If he ran a 40-yard dash today, it would probably be at around 4.5 seconds. That is pretty good for a linebacker.  

Florida transfer Scooby Williams has been pushing Sanford. Pittsburgh transfer Solomon DeShields, who arrived at A&M in June, appears to be behind Sanford and Williams.

Ascending players

Defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Albert Regis, cornerback Jayvon Thomas, safety Dalton Brooks, quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Micah Tease are among players who are on the rise.

Over the last couple years, Brownlow-Dindy has understandably fascinated the Aggie fan base. How could a former-five star recruit like Brownlow-Dindy who looks the part and then some never come close to sniffing the field (for the most part)? The answer is simple: injuries.

Various injuries have kept Brownlow-Dindy out of a ton of practices and games. He missed part of the spring with an undisclosed injury, too. But Brownlow-Dindy has recently been more available than ever, and his presence has been felt. Whether Brownlow-Dindy will crack the two-deep remains unclear, but there is a real chance it happens. 

Going into the offseason, sophomore DJ Hicks figured to be the favorite to start at defensive tackle next to Turner. However, Regis has pushed Hicks hard for that spot. Do not be surprised if Regis begins the season as the starter there.

Thomas could be another surprise starter. Throughout preseason camp, Thomas has received a lot of meaningful opportunities. Still, it might be a tall task for him to beat out players like incumbent starter Tyreek Chappell, Kansas State transfer Will Lee III and former five-star recruit Dezz Ricks.

From an eye test standpoint, Brooks has stood out during drills. He has made a sizable weight gain this offseason, going from 185 pounds to 200. Anderson will be one of the starting safeties for the Aggies. The other spot very well could go to Brooks.

Two offensive players, Reed and Tease, are worth mentioning.

Since the spring game, I have felt that Reed would be a better backup quarterback than Jaylen Henderson. He has shown nothing over the last couple weeks to change that opinion. If anything, Reed has made me even more confident about it.

Tease has always shown flashes in small sample sizes,  but as a true freshman last season, he was buried on the depth chart. Now, that does not appear to be the case. He might even challenge Louisiana Tech transfer Cyrus Allen for a starting spot.  

Specific practice musings

• With the Aggies having a new coaching staff, I have tried to gain a sense of what each assistant is like personality-wise while at practice. This group is a mixed bag of personalities.

For instance, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein and defensive line coach Tony Jerod-Eddie are some of the more reserved coaches I have seen. You almost never hear their voices during practice unless you are close to them. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide are the total opposite. They bring the energy, and they are yellers who you can hear from quite a bit of distance away.

Aristide is easily my favorite coach to watch during practices. He brings an infectious energy and strikes an ideal balance of getting on players but not going full Steve Addazio. I also enjoy his sense of humor. For an example, one cornerback did not give his best effort on one ball-stripping drill rep Wednesday, and instead of chewing him out, Aristide threw his hands into the air, shrugged and melodramatically acted like someone killed his cat. 

• In a clip from practice that the A&M football X account posted Wednesday, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr. and Kansas transfer Ar'maj Reed-Adams are lined up as the starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Check the 52-second mark below.

That pairing is not as surprising as it might seem. Per sources, the Aggies used Trey Zuhn III (left tackle), Chase Bisontis (left guard), Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah), Nabou (right guard) and Reed-Adams (right tackle) as their starting offensive line at times during their first scrimmage of preseason camp last Saturday.

More ?????? & ?????? from fall camp ?#GigEm pic.twitter.com/kCII4piGb4

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 14, 2024

• Beyond running back Rueben Owens II, who ESPN reported is out for the season with a lower-body injury, the Aggies looked to be relatively healthy. The media is prohibited from disclosing if certain players did not participate in practice. So in more broad terms, there did not appear to be any major concerns in addition to Owens.

• During position drills, Scourton and Stewart spent time away from the other defensive ends to work on their pass-rush moves.

 

This is like the end of Lord of the Rings when Samwise Gamgee says that everything sad is coming untrue.

[GlenFromTheMailRoom 1,603]

49 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I feel like I'm getting a feel for diciphering Carter Karels coded messages being sent into the atmosphere for the outside world while captured deep behind The Elk's occupationist lines. 

I've spoilered the full post from a Wednesday practice update, but here are highlights, as far as I know them from reading his code plus what my friends are hearing or knowing as well:

-They're starting to softpedal the notion that Marcel Reed is a better fit at QB for Klein's offense. I'm starting to see this pop up from both mods and also posters known to have some access. The logic is as basic and stereotypical as we would expect (which does make the cynic in me pause) - they don't have speed at the skill positions and they're going to need a mobile QB to make the offense click. Klein wants to run the QB, a lot, and they cannot comfortably do that with Weigatron. This is something to keep an eye on. If Liucci starts touting Reed before the ND game as well, the dam is breaking.

-In spite of all of their efforts regarding bringing in guys from the portal, they're about to be playing Sanford as the LB next to York. York is undersized and slow. Sanford is very fast but, if prior reports have any merit, tends to just run around a lot. 

-Another similar instance is at CB, where the second starter is lining up to be Jayvion Thomas, rather than any of the portal transfer such as Ricks (5 star) and Lee (the esteemed KSU savior). There is no spin capable of washing off the stains of the claims made for the others. Hell, Liucci was talking all of them up on the radio yesterday. Right.

-They really, really lack offensive speed and they're starting to realize it. One guy is yearning on their boards for the tiny true freshman to play and he has trouble finding the fields for practice. None of the older WRs can beat anyone deep or out of a cut. Actually the one guy who can do that isn't close to healthy and might not play this year (the transfer from one of the FCS schools they were touting in the spring). They have no one at TB that can get around the edge consistently. 

-Gabriel Brownlow Dindy has shown up healthy for the first time in his career. These guys seem to believe that that pussy will stay that way. Color me dubious. 

-Depsite DJ Hicks having the 5 star pedigree and being paid $1M per year, Regis is outplaying him. Karels could never say this, but Hicks is the definition of "dead money" if he's not starting and playing regularly. Elko wants to play Regis. This is a coaching/booster conflict waiting to happen and worth watching this season. 

-Outside of the QB hinting, the OL update is the biggest and funniest shit I've seen from them. 

---Fatheree is nowhere to be found in the starting lineup and may not be running second team at RT. He still "isn't the same" since his mysterious injury like 18 months ago. I think this guy is being pushed through the program to get his degree and move on and they'd rather not have him publicly leave as another OL bust. 

---The presumptive starting RT is the former KU guard that transferred in after being processed by Leipold. This is really fucking hilarious. 

---They "need" Bisontis and Nabou to be badasses at both G positions because of problems at RT and C. This OL is going to be one of the worst OLs in P4 and they're going to get QBs killed. Defenses will not have to play off the ball with concern toward anyone getting behind them or any TBs beating them to the edge. 

  Reveal hidden contents

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M held its 12th football practice of preseason camp Wednesday on the two outdoor Coolidge Practice Fields. A&M players wore full pads for the practice.

GigEm247 and the other media members in attendance were permitted to observe, film video and take pictures for the first six periods (approximately 20-30 minutes) of the practice. Our highlights from those six periods can be found here. We were all permitted to observe the entire practice but can only report on what we saw from the first six periods.

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the team-imposed restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of major takeaways from the practice. Additionally, while the media watched, the Aggies were not put in any competitive settings like one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven work or 11-on-11 action.

GigEm247 primarily watched the defense. Here are some notes and takeaways from the six media-observed periods, along with analysis from what we have learned from sources.

Aggie defense overview

With preseason camp coming to a close soon for the Aggies, I thought I would give a brief overview of where their defense is now.

My confidence in the group has not been higher all offseason.

The defensive line could be one of the best in the country this season. We have talked a lot about the trio of defensive linemen who look poised to have long, successful NFL careers: defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. They have only continued to impress.

The player who is not getting enough hype, though, is Bowling Green defensive end transfer Cashius Howell.

Now, Howell technically will not be considered a starter. But his impact might be starter-esque. Would I be surprised if he finished second on the team in sacks, behind Scourton? No. He has the potential to be a real weapon off the edge, particularly in third-and-long packages. 

Perhaps what has been the most encouraging development, though, is the secondary. Beyond maybe safety Bryce Anderson, A&M probably does not have any defensive backs who will sniff All-SEC honors this season. But the unit does not have any glaring liabilities, which could not be said about them last season. It seems to be a much, much better group collectively.

While the Aggies are set at middle linebacker with incumbent starter Taurean York, there has been a battle for the other spot. Sophomore Daymion Sanford figures to be the favorite to secure the starting role. Among the group of A&M linebackers, Sanford has looked the most fluid and athletic during position drills. If he ran a 40-yard dash today, it would probably be at around 4.5 seconds. That is pretty good for a linebacker.  

Florida transfer Scooby Williams has been pushing Sanford. Pittsburgh transfer Solomon DeShields, who arrived at A&M in June, appears to be behind Sanford and Williams.

Ascending players

Defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Albert Regis, cornerback Jayvon Thomas, safety Dalton Brooks, quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Micah Tease are among players who are on the rise.

Over the last couple years, Brownlow-Dindy has understandably fascinated the Aggie fan base. How could a former-five star recruit like Brownlow-Dindy who looks the part and then some never come close to sniffing the field (for the most part)? The answer is simple: injuries.

Various injuries have kept Brownlow-Dindy out of a ton of practices and games. He missed part of the spring with an undisclosed injury, too. But Brownlow-Dindy has recently been more available than ever, and his presence has been felt. Whether Brownlow-Dindy will crack the two-deep remains unclear, but there is a real chance it happens. 

Going into the offseason, sophomore DJ Hicks figured to be the favorite to start at defensive tackle next to Turner. However, Regis has pushed Hicks hard for that spot. Do not be surprised if Regis begins the season as the starter there.

Thomas could be another surprise starter. Throughout preseason camp, Thomas has received a lot of meaningful opportunities. Still, it might be a tall task for him to beat out players like incumbent starter Tyreek Chappell, Kansas State transfer Will Lee III and former five-star recruit Dezz Ricks.

From an eye test standpoint, Brooks has stood out during drills. He has made a sizable weight gain this offseason, going from 185 pounds to 200. Anderson will be one of the starting safeties for the Aggies. The other spot very well could go to Brooks.

Two offensive players, Reed and Tease, are worth mentioning.

Since the spring game, I have felt that Reed would be a better backup quarterback than Jaylen Henderson. He has shown nothing over the last couple weeks to change that opinion. If anything, Reed has made me even more confident about it.

Tease has always shown flashes in small sample sizes,  but as a true freshman last season, he was buried on the depth chart. Now, that does not appear to be the case. He might even challenge Louisiana Tech transfer Cyrus Allen for a starting spot.  

Specific practice musings

• With the Aggies having a new coaching staff, I have tried to gain a sense of what each assistant is like personality-wise while at practice. This group is a mixed bag of personalities.

For instance, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein and defensive line coach Tony Jerod-Eddie are some of the more reserved coaches I have seen. You almost never hear their voices during practice unless you are close to them. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide are the total opposite. They bring the energy, and they are yellers who you can hear from quite a bit of distance away.

Aristide is easily my favorite coach to watch during practices. He brings an infectious energy and strikes an ideal balance of getting on players but not going full Steve Addazio. I also enjoy his sense of humor. For an example, one cornerback did not give his best effort on one ball-stripping drill rep Wednesday, and instead of chewing him out, Aristide threw his hands into the air, shrugged and melodramatically acted like someone killed his cat. 

• In a clip from practice that the A&M football X account posted Wednesday, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr. and Kansas transfer Ar'maj Reed-Adams are lined up as the starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Check the 52-second mark below.

That pairing is not as surprising as it might seem. Per sources, the Aggies used Trey Zuhn III (left tackle), Chase Bisontis (left guard), Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah), Nabou (right guard) and Reed-Adams (right tackle) as their starting offensive line at times during their first scrimmage of preseason camp last Saturday.

More ?????? & ?????? from fall camp ?#GigEm pic.twitter.com/kCII4piGb4

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 14, 2024

• Beyond running back Rueben Owens II, who ESPN reported is out for the season with a lower-body injury, the Aggies looked to be relatively healthy. The media is prohibited from disclosing if certain players did not participate in practice. So in more broad terms, there did not appear to be any major concerns in addition to Owens.

• During position drills, Scourton and Stewart spent time away from the other defensive ends to work on their pass-rush moves.

 

Maybe because he knows that with their OL whoever the QB is is going to be running for his life anyways.

Wasn't Bisontis on skates all last year at tackle?

"Over the last couple years, Brownlow-Dindy has understandably fascinated the Aggie fan base. How could a former-five star recruit like Brownlow-Dindy who looks the part and then some never come close to sniffing the field (for the most part)? The answer is simple: injuries.

Various injuries have kept Brownlow-Dindy out of a ton of practices and games. He missed part of the spring with an undisclosed injury, too. But Brownlow-Dindy has recently been more available than ever, and his presence has been felt. Whether Brownlow-Dindy will crack the two-deep remains unclear, but there is a real chance it happens. "

What the fuck kind of logic is this?

Edited August 16 by GlenFromTheMailRoom

[Not a Sock 2,311]

41 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I feel like I'm getting a feel for diciphering Carter Karels coded messages being sent into the atmosphere for the outside world while captured deep behind The Elk's occupationist lines. 

I've spoilered the full post from a Wednesday practice update, but here are highlights, as far as I know them from reading his code plus what my friends are hearing or knowing as well:

-They're starting to softpedal the notion that Marcel Reed is a better fit at QB for Klein's offense. I'm starting to see this pop up from both mods and also posters known to have some access. The logic is as basic and stereotypical as we would expect (which does make the cynic in me pause) - they don't have speed at the skill positions and they're going to need a mobile QB to make the offense click. Klein wants to run the QB, a lot, and they cannot comfortably do that with Weigatron. This is something to keep an eye on. If Liucci starts touting Reed before the ND game as well, the dam is breaking.

-In spite of all of their efforts regarding bringing in guys from the portal, they're about to be playing Sanford as the LB next to York. York is undersized and slow. Sanford is very fast but, if prior reports have any merit, tends to just run around a lot. 

-Another similar instance is at CB, where the second starter is lining up to be Jayvion Thomas, rather than any of the portal transfer such as Ricks (5 star) and Lee (the esteemed KSU savior). There is no spin capable of washing off the stains of the claims made for the others. Hell, Liucci was talking all of them up on the radio yesterday. Right.

-They really, really lack offensive speed and they're starting to realize it. One guy is yearning on their boards for the tiny true freshman to play and he has trouble finding the fields for practice. None of the older WRs can beat anyone deep or out of a cut. Actually the one guy who can do that isn't close to healthy and might not play this year (the transfer from one of the FCS schools they were touting in the spring). They have no one at TB that can get around the edge consistently. 

-Gabriel Brownlow Dindy has shown up healthy for the first time in his career. These guys seem to believe that that pussy will stay that way. Color me dubious. 

-Depsite DJ Hicks having the 5 star pedigree and being paid $1M per year, Regis is outplaying him. Karels could never say this, but Hicks is the definition of "dead money" if he's not starting and playing regularly. Elko wants to play Regis. This is a coaching/booster conflict waiting to happen and worth watching this season. 

-Outside of the QB hinting, the OL update is the biggest and funniest shit I've seen from them. 

---Fatheree is nowhere to be found in the starting lineup and may not be running second team at RT. He still "isn't the same" since his mysterious injury like 18 months ago. I think this guy is being pushed through the program to get his degree and move on and they'd rather not have him publicly leave as another OL bust. 

---The presumptive starting RT is the former KU guard that transferred in after being processed by Leipold. This is really fucking hilarious. 

---They "need" Bisontis and Nabou to be badasses at both G positions because of problems at RT and C. This OL is going to be one of the worst OLs in P4 and they're going to get QBs killed. Defenses will not have to play off the ball with concern toward anyone getting behind them or any TBs beating them to the edge. 

  Reveal hidden contents

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M held its 12th football practice of preseason camp Wednesday on the two outdoor Coolidge Practice Fields. A&M players wore full pads for the practice.

GigEm247 and the other media members in attendance were permitted to observe, film video and take pictures for the first six periods (approximately 20-30 minutes) of the practice. Our highlights from those six periods can be found here. We were all permitted to observe the entire practice but can only report on what we saw from the first six periods.

Given the limited and controlled viewing window, along with the team-imposed restrictions on what the media can report, there were not a lot of major takeaways from the practice. Additionally, while the media watched, the Aggies were not put in any competitive settings like one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven work or 11-on-11 action.

GigEm247 primarily watched the defense. Here are some notes and takeaways from the six media-observed periods, along with analysis from what we have learned from sources.

Aggie defense overview

With preseason camp coming to a close soon for the Aggies, I thought I would give a brief overview of where their defense is now.

My confidence in the group has not been higher all offseason.

The defensive line could be one of the best in the country this season. We have talked a lot about the trio of defensive linemen who look poised to have long, successful NFL careers: defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. They have only continued to impress.

The player who is not getting enough hype, though, is Bowling Green defensive end transfer Cashius Howell.

Now, Howell technically will not be considered a starter. But his impact might be starter-esque. Would I be surprised if he finished second on the team in sacks, behind Scourton? No. He has the potential to be a real weapon off the edge, particularly in third-and-long packages. 

Perhaps what has been the most encouraging development, though, is the secondary. Beyond maybe safety Bryce Anderson, A&M probably does not have any defensive backs who will sniff All-SEC honors this season. But the unit does not have any glaring liabilities, which could not be said about them last season. It seems to be a much, much better group collectively.

While the Aggies are set at middle linebacker with incumbent starter Taurean York, there has been a battle for the other spot. Sophomore Daymion Sanford figures to be the favorite to secure the starting role. Among the group of A&M linebackers, Sanford has looked the most fluid and athletic during position drills. If he ran a 40-yard dash today, it would probably be at around 4.5 seconds. That is pretty good for a linebacker.  

Florida transfer Scooby Williams has been pushing Sanford. Pittsburgh transfer Solomon DeShields, who arrived at A&M in June, appears to be behind Sanford and Williams.

Ascending players

Defensive tackles Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Albert Regis, cornerback Jayvon Thomas, safety Dalton Brooks, quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Micah Tease are among players who are on the rise.

Over the last couple years, Brownlow-Dindy has understandably fascinated the Aggie fan base. How could a former-five star recruit like Brownlow-Dindy who looks the part and then some never come close to sniffing the field (for the most part)? The answer is simple: injuries.

Various injuries have kept Brownlow-Dindy out of a ton of practices and games. He missed part of the spring with an undisclosed injury, too. But Brownlow-Dindy has recently been more available than ever, and his presence has been felt. Whether Brownlow-Dindy will crack the two-deep remains unclear, but there is a real chance it happens. 

Going into the offseason, sophomore DJ Hicks figured to be the favorite to start at defensive tackle next to Turner. However, Regis has pushed Hicks hard for that spot. Do not be surprised if Regis begins the season as the starter there.

Thomas could be another surprise starter. Throughout preseason camp, Thomas has received a lot of meaningful opportunities. Still, it might be a tall task for him to beat out players like incumbent starter Tyreek Chappell, Kansas State transfer Will Lee III and former five-star recruit Dezz Ricks.

From an eye test standpoint, Brooks has stood out during drills. He has made a sizable weight gain this offseason, going from 185 pounds to 200. Anderson will be one of the starting safeties for the Aggies. The other spot very well could go to Brooks.

Two offensive players, Reed and Tease, are worth mentioning.

Since the spring game, I have felt that Reed would be a better backup quarterback than Jaylen Henderson. He has shown nothing over the last couple weeks to change that opinion. If anything, Reed has made me even more confident about it.

Tease has always shown flashes in small sample sizes,  but as a true freshman last season, he was buried on the depth chart. Now, that does not appear to be the case. He might even challenge Louisiana Tech transfer Cyrus Allen for a starting spot.  

Specific practice musings

• With the Aggies having a new coaching staff, I have tried to gain a sense of what each assistant is like personality-wise while at practice. This group is a mixed bag of personalities.

For instance, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Collin Klein and defensive line coach Tony Jerod-Eddie are some of the more reserved coaches I have seen. You almost never hear their voices during practice unless you are close to them. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide are the total opposite. They bring the energy, and they are yellers who you can hear from quite a bit of distance away.

Aristide is easily my favorite coach to watch during practices. He brings an infectious energy and strikes an ideal balance of getting on players but not going full Steve Addazio. I also enjoy his sense of humor. For an example, one cornerback did not give his best effort on one ball-stripping drill rep Wednesday, and instead of chewing him out, Aristide threw his hands into the air, shrugged and melodramatically acted like someone killed his cat. 

• In a clip from practice that the A&M football X account posted Wednesday, redshirt sophomore Mark Nabou Jr. and Kansas transfer Ar'maj Reed-Adams are lined up as the starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Check the 52-second mark below.

That pairing is not as surprising as it might seem. Per sources, the Aggies used Trey Zuhn III (left tackle), Chase Bisontis (left guard), Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah), Nabou (right guard) and Reed-Adams (right tackle) as their starting offensive line at times during their first scrimmage of preseason camp last Saturday.

More ?????? & ?????? from fall camp ?#GigEm pic.twitter.com/kCII4piGb4

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) August 14, 2024

• Beyond running back Rueben Owens II, who ESPN reported is out for the season with a lower-body injury, the Aggies looked to be relatively healthy. The media is prohibited from disclosing if certain players did not participate in practice. So in more broad terms, there did not appear to be any major concerns in addition to Owens.

• During position drills, Scourton and Stewart spent time away from the other defensive ends to work on their pass-rush moves.

 

There’s no way they can trot out any QB other than Weigman. The A&M mouth pieces are very good at injecting the Pravda line into the national media and they’ve been pushing the Weigman is a elite 5* QB who can raise the ceiling of the program if he stays healthy. 

[HtownHorn 14,663]

46 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

---Fatheree is nowhere to be found in the starting lineup and may not be running second team at RT. He still "isn't the same" since his mysterious injury like 18 months ago. I think this guy is being pushed through the program to get his degree and move on and they'd rather not have him publicly leave as another OL bust. 

---The presumptive starting RT is the former KU guard that transferred in after being processed by Leipold. This is really fucking hilarious. 

---They "need" Bisontis and Nabou to be badasses at both G positions because of problems at RT and C. This OL is going to be one of the worst OLs in P4 and they're going to get QBs killed. Defenses will not have to play off the ball with concern toward anyone getting behind them or any TBs beating them to the edge. 

I've seen this story before. Which makes his analysis of the DL even funnier. I remember the days where the DL was blowing away the Texas OL, and then the season came along and both the Texas DL/OL were shit against outside competition. I get the feeling this is probably happening here. Some MAC JAG is blowing up the aggy OL is not the flex Carter thinks it is for the JAG. aggy may have a good DL, I highly doubt it will be one of the Top 10 or so DLs in country. I do think it's the best position room on their team, so if it struggles they are uber fucked on the season.

[BurntOrange&White 39,930]

Where is Rivals 5 star TJ Shanahan? 

[Pato del Muerto 52,484]

8 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

There’s no way they can trot out any QB other than Weigman. The A&M mouth pieces are very good at injecting the Pravda line into the national media and they’ve been pushing the Weigman is a elite 5* QB who can raise the ceiling of the program if he stays healthy. 

They can run weigger out there no problem.  Run their offense, with that OL, and he’ll be hurt soon enough. Then they can play the qb they want without any fan revolt, and have the excuse when the season sours.