Jimbo 2021: Meemaw's Got a Brand New Bag

[Getafix 28416]

26 minutes ago, golfclap said:

went to aggy 247 and was not disappointed in the reactions. A LOT of talk about how fast he is and that they love these sticky CBs that Rushing is getting. How they are finally getting some cover 1 CBs. So I go to the HUDL - first highlight is Norwood playing 15 yards off the WR at CB, the WR is open under him and the QB overthrows him and Norwood gets the INT. Then --- it's him playing QB for the entire video - excluding like 2 plays in run support, none of them showing a sticky CB or a guy with any DB skills at all. He plays deep and facing the ball on the few defensive snaps you get.  

fantastic. 

Yeah, I know these guys are aggies ... but am still puzzled by a couple of things;

- the repeated references to speed.  Is it from his QB play?  Game speed vs. anything on track?

- what attributes specifically translate to CB?  Why is he considered projectable?  (Any evidence of hips, change of direction, recovery speed, etc.?)

DBs often come from other positions (Green, as Tex mentioned, also played QB), but was wondering what evidence there was for this guy.

[PNWhornsfan 391]

These Gomers all know that they're recruiting these guys to play in the SEC, not the Sun Belt Conference, right?

[Fud 9546]

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

How's it compare to Jalen Green's, given he also played QB/CB?

What I remember about Green was that he didn't give up a single reception at some all star 7 on 7 tournament in Louisiana where the team probably played close to ten matches 

[Elmer_Fudd 22109]

No home game against Colorado now.

[Mdhorn 5911]

40 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

No home game against Colorado now.

But the pussies still want the W.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Mdhorn

[RGBIII 22798]

[Mdhorn 5911]

This isn't going to end well for Leon.  I just hope I don't read about him one day in the Metro section of the paper.  

[Bevo14 8275]

If he was 400 lbs his speed would be impressive.

[Getafix 28416]

11 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

This isn't going to end well for Leon.  I just hope I don't read about him one day in the Metro section of the paper.  

 

 

 

[Getafix 28416]

Aggie 247 / Jeff Tarpley / Surprise A&M commit another quality add to 2021 cornerback class

Spoiler

Surprise A&M commit another quality add to 2021 cornerback class

Tarp

Texas A&M has already secured the services of two corners in the 2021 recruiting class in Denton (TX) Guyer's Deuce Harmon and Philadelphia (PA) Northeast's Tyeek Chappell. Both were sub six footers which were at odds with the players had previously brought in during the first two recruiting classes that defensive coordinator Mike Elko was a part of. They seemed to represent a change of sorts under new cornerbacks' coach TJ Rushing in terms of their length.

The Aggies seemed to stay with that trend today by picking up Fort Smith (AR) Northside four star Dreyden Norwood. Norwood is listed at six feet even and so he's more akin to Harmon and Chappell than five star Jaylon Jones (who is listed at 6 foot 2 and is capable of playing safety). In addition, he's lean at a list 173 pounds per measurements from The Opening in the spring of 2019.

Norwood played quarterback as a sophomore but also played on the perimeter on defense last season. The big thing that jumps out at you the first time that you watch his film is his change of direction and quick feet. He is very fluid which enables him to make cuts and maintain his speed as an offensive player which translates to big plays with him in the running game. This is not only means that he can make people miss in the open field but in confined space as well and in particular when he cuts back upfield through the line. It's also accentuated by his natural coordination which enables him to tightrope down the sidelines as a ball carrier or stay upright after contact, even if he's closer to the ground than standing vertical. These enable him to maneuver his way in and out of trouble for big plays as an offensive player and utilize some jaw dropping moves to do so.

He also offers great acceleration either from a standing start or on the move. It helps that he sees things well and so can get to open turf quickly.

The primary questions with regard to Norwood are how much more weight can he add to his frame and can he make a switch to the defensive side of the ball on a full time basis? He's probably not someone that will grow into a safety (although that doesn't mean after a few years on campus that he can't move to the nickel position). Also, he's spent most of his high school career on offense and he'll have to learn to develop his technique and his footwork (which will go hand in hand with any gains in mass).

Even so, his playmaking ability as an offensive player and his speed (he runs the 100 meter and relays in track) suggest that he'll be someone who can be sufficiently versatile to play shuffle or trail techniques on the perimeter, maneuver with receivers on routes, and close on the ball in coverage. He's the top rated prospect in Arkansas and although he might take some time to make an impact in Aggieland he's got the same type of physical attributes that Harmon and Chappell have which should work well if he can make the adjustment to the secondary.

 

[texifornia 56549]

1 minute ago, Getafix said:

Aggie 247 / Jeff Tarpley / Surprise A&M commit another quality add to 2021 cornerback class

  Hide contents

Surprise A&M commit another quality add to 2021 cornerback class

Tarp

Texas A&M has already secured the services of two corners in the 2021 recruiting class in Denton (TX) Guyer's Deuce Harmon and Philadelphia (PA) Northeast's Tyeek Chappell. Both were sub six footers which were at odds with the players had previously brought in during the first two recruiting classes that defensive coordinator Mike Elko was a part of. They seemed to represent a change of sorts under new cornerbacks' coach TJ Rushing in terms of their length.

The Aggies seemed to stay with that trend today by picking up Fort Smith (AR) Northside four star Dreyden Norwood. Norwood is listed at six feet even and so he's more akin to Harmon and Chappell than five star Jaylon Jones (who is listed at 6 foot 2 and is capable of playing safety). In addition, he's lean at a list 173 pounds per measurements from The Opening in the spring of 2019.

Norwood played quarterback as a sophomore but also played on the perimeter on defense last season. The big thing that jumps out at you the first time that you watch his film is his change of direction and quick feet. He is very fluid which enables him to make cuts and maintain his speed as an offensive player which translates to big plays with him in the running game. This is not only means that he can make people miss in the open field but in confined space as well and in particular when he cuts back upfield through the line. It's also accentuated by his natural coordination which enables him to tightrope down the sidelines as a ball carrier or stay upright after contact, even if he's closer to the ground than standing vertical. These enable him to maneuver his way in and out of trouble for big plays as an offensive player and utilize some jaw dropping moves to do so.

He also offers great acceleration either from a standing start or on the move. It helps that he sees things well and so can get to open turf quickly.

The primary questions with regard to Norwood are how much more weight can he add to his frame and can he make a switch to the defensive side of the ball on a full time basis? He's probably not someone that will grow into a safety (although that doesn't mean after a few years on campus that he can't move to the nickel position). Also, he's spent most of his high school career on offense and he'll have to learn to develop his technique and his footwork (which will go hand in hand with any gains in mass).

Even so, his playmaking ability as an offensive player and his speed (he runs the 100 meter and relays in track) suggest that he'll be someone who can be sufficiently versatile to play shuffle or trail techniques on the perimeter, maneuver with receivers on routes, and close on the ball in coverage. He's the top rated prospect in Arkansas and although he might take some time to make an impact in Aggieland he's got the same type of physical attributes that Harmon and Chappell have which should work well if he can make the adjustment to the secondary.

 

@golfclap, see he's not a safety - Tarp says so.

(Honestly this isn't exactly the most glowing writeup, to be fair)

[cochamps 1879]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

@golfclap, see he's not a safety - Tarp says so.

(Honestly this isn't exactly the most glowing writeup, to be fair)

Sounds like he has safety speed, just not the size.

[Mdhorn 5911]

22 minutes ago, cochamps said:

Sounds like he has safety speed, just not the size.

Just need aggy corches to cube him up.  

[texifornia 56549]

It's here: Chappell is better than Grimes and Harmon is aggy's Tyrann Mathieu

Spoiler

 

[HenryJames 65890]

He’s the number one player in Arkansas, and Arkansas is in the SEC you stupid sips.

[Bevo14 8275]

10 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

Just need aggy corches to cube him up.  

No problem. Jimbo has turned them into a well cubed team.

[Viper 12033]

3 hours ago, texifornia said:

It's here: Chappell is better than Grimes and Harmon is aggy's Tyrann Mathieu

  Hide contents

 

Not only is he quicker, his footspeed is faster too!

[golfclap 6903]

And the truth shall set you free. Norwood shows good athleticism in a straight line, he has a good 40 and vert (4.59 and 36.7) that show he has good quickness and speed but has a 4.4 shuttle. That's never going to work at CB. Jaylon Jones had a 4.5 shuttle. If you can't change direction you can't play man (or CB really). 

To give some perspective, here's a bunch of JR year shuttles for guys that have now played a few years in college from a post I made when they were recruits ...  Note that at the time we said that Demani Richardson was the clear outlier in the aggy classes, and here he is as the only one of the bunch that can cover anybody. Note that Anthony Cook has the slowest shuttle of the Texas CBs (still faster than ALL of aggy) and is the player in the portal. The shuttle is far more important than the 40 for most football players and is a clear point of emphasis for the player personnel guys and coaches at Texas. 

 

D'Shawn Jamison  -- 5'10" 175 - 4.48 40 -  3.9 shuttle - 36.7″ vertical -  35′ powerball  
Caden Sterns — 6-0.5 - 192 - 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle - 37.4 vertical - 36’ powerball
BJ Foster - 6’1” - 193 - 4.52 40 - 4.27 shuttle - 33.7 vertical - 33’ powerball 
Jalen Green — 6-0 - 171- 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle — 32.7 vertical - 33.5’ powerball
Anthony Cook - 6’0” - 174 - 4.69 40 - 4.12 shuttle  36.7 vertical - 34.5’powerball 

also :: 
Brennan Eagles - 6-3.5 - 214 - 4.51 - 3.99 shuttle - 37 vertical - 39.0’ powerball

also :: 
Bobby Wolfe -- 6-0.5 176 - 4.71 40 -  4.41 shuttle - 34.2"  vertical - 31.0' powerball
Erick Young -- 6'0 208 - scratched - 4.27 shuttle - 32" vertical - 35' powerball
Brian Williams -- 6'0.5" 211 - scratched - 4.47 shuttle - 31" vertical - 39.5 powerball
Demani Richardson -- 6'1" 209 - 4.59 40 - 4.14 shuttle - 34.7" vertical - 41.5 powerball

[Pato del Muerto 52344]

So Richardson to cb?

[Elmer_Fudd 22109]

22 minutes ago, golfclap said:

And the truth shall set you free. Norwood shows good athleticism in a straight line, he has a good 40 and vert (4.59 and 36.7) that show he has good quickness and speed but has a 4.4 shuttle. That's never going to work at CB. Jaylon Jones had a 4.5 shuttle. If you can't change direction you can't play man (or CB really). 

To give some perspective, here's a bunch of JR year shuttles for guys that have now played a few years in college from a post I made when they were recruits ...  Note that at the time we said that Demani Richardson was the clear outlier in the aggy classes, and here he is as the only one of the bunch that can cover anybody. Note that Anthony Cook has the slowest shuttle of the Texas CBs (still faster than ALL of aggy) and is the player in the portal. The shuttle is far more important than the 40 for most football players and is a clear point of emphasis for the player personnel guys and coaches at Texas. 

 

D'Shawn Jamison  -- 5'10" 175 - 4.48 40 -  3.9 shuttle - 36.7″ vertical -  35′ powerball  
Caden Sterns — 6-0.5 - 192 - 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle - 37.4 vertical - 36’ powerball
BJ Foster - 6’1” - 193 - 4.52 40 - 4.27 shuttle - 33.7 vertical - 33’ powerball 
Jalen Green — 6-0 - 171- 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle — 32.7 vertical - 33.5’ powerball
Anthony Cook - 6’0” - 174 - 4.69 40 - 4.12 shuttle  36.7 vertical - 34.5’powerball 

also :: 
Brennan Eagles - 6-3.5 - 214 - 4.51 - 3.99 shuttle - 37 vertical - 39.0’ powerball

also :: 
Bobby Wolfe -- 6-0.5 176 - 4.71 40 -  4.41 shuttle - 34.2"  vertical - 31.0' powerball
Erick Young -- 6'0 208 - scratched - 4.27 shuttle - 32" vertical - 35' powerball
Brian Williams -- 6'0.5" 211 - scratched - 4.47 shuttle - 31" vertical - 39.5 powerball
Demani Richardson -- 6'1" 209 - 4.59 40 - 4.14 shuttle - 34.7" vertical - 41.5 powerball

Very curious to know what Brian Williams actually ran the forty in.  And that shuttle, woof.  

[golfclap 6903]

1 hour ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Very curious to know what Brian Williams actually ran the forty in.  And that shuttle, woof.  

[texifornia 56549]

This dude is getting real weirdly deep into Kellen Mond's racial history in his letter to Sharp

Spoiler

 

[Pato del Muerto 52344]

Woodrow Wilson led the way for the League of Nations...which the United States then refused to join. Which is the biggest reason the UN was formed after another large international war broke out. 

[Hank Scorpio 17723]

9 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This dude is getting real weirdly deep into Kellen Mond's racial history in his letter to Sharp

  Hide contents

 

God damn that is good stuff. Just shows no matter how many degrees or success they have, aggie gonna aggie. 

[Getafix 28416]

25 minutes ago, texifornia said:

This dude is getting real weirdly deep into Kellen Mond's racial history in his letter to Sharp

  Hide contents

 

 

 

 

- Kellen Mond

[Butch Had Not 2940]

3 hours ago, golfclap said:

And the truth shall set you free. Norwood shows good athleticism in a straight line, he has a good 40 and vert (4.59 and 36.7) that show he has good quickness and speed but has a 4.4 shuttle. That's never going to work at CB. Jaylon Jones had a 4.5 shuttle. If you can't change direction you can't play man (or CB really). 

To give some perspective, here's a bunch of JR year shuttles for guys that have now played a few years in college from a post I made when they were recruits ...  Note that at the time we said that Demani Richardson was the clear outlier in the aggy classes, and here he is as the only one of the bunch that can cover anybody. Note that Anthony Cook has the slowest shuttle of the Texas CBs (still faster than ALL of aggy) and is the player in the portal. The shuttle is far more important than the 40 for most football players and is a clear point of emphasis for the player personnel guys and coaches at Texas. 

 

D'Shawn Jamison  -- 5'10" 175 - 4.48 40 -  3.9 shuttle - 36.7″ vertical -  35′ powerball  
Caden Sterns — 6-0.5 - 192 - 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle - 37.4 vertical - 36’ powerball
BJ Foster - 6’1” - 193 - 4.52 40 - 4.27 shuttle - 33.7 vertical - 33’ powerball 
Jalen Green — 6-0 - 171- 4.69 40 - 4.01 shuttle — 32.7 vertical - 33.5’ powerball
Anthony Cook - 6’0” - 174 - 4.69 40 - 4.12 shuttle  36.7 vertical - 34.5’powerball 

also :: 
Brennan Eagles - 6-3.5 - 214 - 4.51 - 3.99 shuttle - 37 vertical - 39.0’ powerball

also :: 
Bobby Wolfe -- 6-0.5 176 - 4.71 40 -  4.41 shuttle - 34.2"  vertical - 31.0' powerball
Erick Young -- 6'0 208 - scratched - 4.27 shuttle - 32" vertical - 35' powerball
Brian Williams -- 6'0.5" 211 - scratched - 4.47 shuttle - 31" vertical - 39.5 powerball
Demani Richardson -- 6'1" 209 - 4.59 40 - 4.14 shuttle - 34.7" vertical - 41.5 powerball

Did you leave leon off because you didn't want to kick a man when he's down?

[IDIOTsavant 8456]

25 minutes ago, Butch Had Not said:

Did you leave leon off because you didn't want to kick a man when he's down?

He'll show up in a couple of minutes.

[Beigebandit 40]

4 hours ago, texifornia said:

This dude is getting real weirdly deep into Kellen Mond's racial history in his letter to Sharp

  Hide contents

 

All that nonsense about Mond’s maternal ancestors was absolutely meaningless due to the concept of the “one drop rule” until he came after something socially unaware and inept Aggys love

[Neonmoon 38127]

Discussing what teams will play who in an all SEC schedule 

Quote

UGA already faces Bama and AU. I doubt they want to add us. 

This perfectly encapsulates Aggy. 

[cochamps 1879]

12 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Discussing what teams will play who in an all SEC schedule 

This perfectly encapsulates Aggy. 

Seems like that would be a reason for the wimpy bulldogs to want aTm on their schedule.  Unless, you know, they could get Arkiesaw.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Spoiler

Liucci

4:00p, 7/11/20 

Staff

AG

With yesterday's addition of four-star cornerback Dreyden Norwood of Fort Smith's Northside High School, the Ags landed the top-ranked prospect in the state of Arkansas for the second time in as many classes. Jimbo Fisher and Co. also continued a ridiculously impressive trend of landing top-10, top-5 and even No. 1 players from not only inside the Lone Star State but also all over the country.

In fact, Norwood becomes the 22nd state top-10 addition for the Aggies that Fisher and the A&M staff have committed in either the '19, '20 or '21 class. He's also the 8th prospect ranked No. 1 in their state to choose the Maroon & White. Let's take a look at what is a pretty remarkable list that shows exactly how well the Aggies are recruiting in state and around the country.

The #1s
2019:
Kenyon Green (Texas) - Composite
DeMarvin Leal (Texas) - Rivals

2020: 
McKinnley Jackson (Mississippi) - Composite
Antonio Johnson (Illinois) - Composite
Chris Morris (Arkansas) - Composite

2021: 
Jahzion Harris (New York) - Rivals and 247
Dreyden Norwood (Arkansas) - Composite
Trey Zuhn (Colorado) - 247

Silver and Bronze 
2019:
Andre White (Pennsylvania) - #3 Composite

2020: 
Baylor Cupp (Texas) - #2 247
Demond Demas (Texas) - #2 Rivals
Antonio Doyle (MIssouri) - #3 Composite
Jaylon Jones (Texas) - #2 Composite

The Top-10s
2019:
Demani Richardson (Texas) - #9 247
Brian Williams (Texas) - #8 ESPN
Erick Young (Texas) - #6 Rivals

2020:
Devon Achane (Texas) - #9 247
Edgerrin Cooper (Louisiana) - #5 Composite
Fadil Diggs (New Jersey) - #4 Composite
Donell Harris (Florida) - #8 Composite
Haynes King (Texas) - #7 ESPN
Moose Muhammad (North Carolina) - #7 Composite
Isaiah Raikes (New Jersey) - #9 Composite

And finally, some noteworthy 2021 targets garnering top-10 mention in their respective states:
LJ Johnson Jr (Texas) - #4 247
Bryce Foster (Texas) - #2 Rivals
Savion Byrd (Texas) - #2 ESPN
Shemar Turner (Texas) - #10 247
Kendal Daniels (Oklahoma) - #1 Composite
Tywone Malone (New Jersey) - #1 Composite
Brian Thomas (Louisiana) - #3 Composite
Donovan McMillon (Pennsylvania) - #5 247
MJ Daniels (Mississippi) - #7 Composite

 

 

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Spoiler

As Aggie players prepare to report for OTAs, Billy Liucci and Gabe Bock discuss some of the top players in categories like impact newcomers and breakout stars and also break down the most important games on Texas A&M's 2020 schedule.

Press PLAY to watch the video above or read the transcript below.

---

Gabe Bock: Welcome back to a special edition of TexAgs.com. We're talking football with Billy Liucci. The players set to report on Monday. And Liucci's with us on the video hotline, and Billy, who knows what the heck is going to happen with this season, but we're assuming it's going to go off. We're assuming there will be one. So let's talk about what is to come when fall camp gets underway and they're basically doing OTA starting on Monday. So I got six little, a six pack, with one player answer per topic. But for you, feel free to go as deep as you want to go on these. We'll start with impact newcomers. Impact newcomers in fall camp and leading into the 2020 season, who's at the top of your list there?

Billy Liucci: That's a really tough one to narrow down when you've got... You're on the heels of the number three ranked class, that's been here only a year. So a lot of those guys, even though they played a lot, there'll be some of them that are going to be newcomers still coming out of that class. And then you've got the 2020 class that was ranked number six. I'm going to start my list with the 5-stars, Jaylon Jones and Demond Demas. I think Demas is the most talented athlete I've seen A&M sign. He's up there with Johnny Manziel and I wouldn't have said that about Johnny when he signed, but I think he has the potential to be just a guy that changes games, because of what he can do athletically. And that's what Johnny turned out to be.

But I think he could be that guy. He could be as good as any of those Alabama receivers and probably better. He can be as good as any of those guys at LSU. He's more physically gifted than those guys, even those guys. But there's a lot that has to happen for him to reach that status and be that top 10 pick, like some of those guys were. And I'm not saying that the production or the end result will be there, but it certainly can. And he could have a major impact day one.

To me, there's so much you can do, even if some of the things are slow to him to come, because it is a complicated offense. He didn't have a spring ball and this has been a late starting, even summer and fall. But I think just the way he can go up and catch a fade, if you get them to where he knows how to release off the ball, the way the things he can do, even in the bubble and bubble screen game and the wide receiver screen game, just throw it to him. Let him make some guys miss and get down. Things like that, fade him up from the middle of the field. There are things you can do before he really just evolves as a wide receiver and comes into his own. So I think even if that's it, he's still an impact guy. So I'll go with him on offense.

On defense, give me Jaylon Jones-slash-Brian George. There's a world where both of them could be starting this year. There's competition with Elijah Blades is a senior. Myles Jones is a very experienced senior, but Jaylon is special. And I've heard some really good things about Brian George and his makeup. He's got that dog mentality playing the cornerback position and that physicality and that fearlessness. And I think that'll give him a real shot if he can pick things up quickly in Mike Elko's defense.

Gabe: Corner could quickly wind up becoming a strength of this team. And it's been a long time since we've been able to say that.

Billy: I've heard so many good things though about this incoming class, it's just wild. And between... Antonio Johnson's gained almost 15 pounds since getting here, looks terrific. Haynes King has put on, I've been told, I think 14, 15 pounds of muscle since getting here. Moose Muhammad looked, was having a really nice off season before it was cut short. Isaiah Raikes, Fadil Diggs. Some of those linemen, I know Akinola. Aki to me was a guy that Georgia desperately wanted. He can come in and... There's so many, but I'm going to go with the two 5-stars and the JC guy, because I think they're the most ready to go in terms of coming in and there's opportunity at those positions.

Gabe: Who do you think will be at the top of your list of surprise players? Be that veterans or semi young guys, who's at the top of your list amongst surprise players this fall?

Billy: We're having a tough time with receiver. So it's going to be somebody. Gosh, it's going to be two of them. I think two of the wide receivers are going to be a big surprise this year. And I think it's going to be... I'm having a tough time. Chase Lane is always the first name I come to because of his over the top, take the top off speed. And maybe his impact he could have in the return game. So he's a guy that I always go back to as somebody that just he pops out first, because he brings a little something different to the table.

But Kam Brown is a guy that I've heard good things about this off season early on. Caleb Chapman, again, the guy can be on the outside. I know he can go up and catch the football. I know he can make contested grabs. I know he's almost 6'4", he's over 6'3". And he's one of the fastest guys on the team, if not the fastest. So Dylan Wright is a guy that the first time I saw him, I thought, "He's going to be a difference maker." And I haven't heard anything to say, he's not. Dylan Wright, he's not as fast as some of those guys, but he's a lot bigger and he can go up and get it, man. He can go up and snatch the ball out of the air. He's aggressive. He's physical. I think two guys out that receiving corp are going to be a really pleasant surprises this year offensively.

And then on defense, I don't know why I'm saying this yet. I don't know exactly why I'm saying this, but because I am just going off of... I just liked him so much in high school, just as a football player. But I think somehow, some way Brian Williams, as a sophomore, the safety, finds a role in that defense. I don't know if he's your permanent nickel guy like Elam was going to be and Capers-Smith was. Because I feel Elko tends to find more corner types there. Although both of those guys were corner safety and then landed in the nickel. So I don't know if he's there, but I just feel Brian Williams will find some way to be impactful on that defense.

My other pick would be, as the season wears on, Edgerrin Cooper, believe it or not. And that's a tough one to say, because you got an Antonio Doyle, who just announced he's coming. He's on his way. Really highly regarded linebacker. You've got Andre White, incredibly high on. You got Chris Russell, who no one's ruled out yet. He red shirt. A lot of times, these guys red shirt, or they're just special teams. Maybe that... Yeah, he probably played more than four games, but you forget about them. That was a big recruiting win for them. It could have easily gone with him. I'm actually though, I'm going to go with, I think Edgerrin Cooper, man. He's special athletically. And I think that would be more of a second half of the season type guy.

Gabe: All right. How about a stock-up veteran player? It doesn't have to be a senior, but a guy who's been around here for a long time. And if you could just throw some stock into it and say, "Look. The best is definitely yet to come," who's at the top of your list?

Billy: Okay. First off, there's one name I haven't mentioned that you could use in either the surprise guy or the impact newcomer. And I should've absolutely not gone on without saying the name, Erick Young. Erick Young as a second year guy has a great chance to start. He was hurt in fall camp last year. That hurt him. He made the move to safety. He's looked really good. People are beyond excited about his potential in the program. And he's got that mentality too. Don't forget he's from my neighborhood, so he's right mentally.

Gabe: No, he's a beast.

Billy: Yeah, he really is. People forget this is the guy that picked A&M over Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC. It was a huge recruiting win. He was so impressive. Remember during the opening and the summer and just by at least one service was a 5-star and was close on the others. He's going to be really good. So let me mention him.

You were talking about a veteran. Max Wright could do that as a tight end. And I think an H-back type, all this versatility. Like what you saw from a Renick last year, but just a bigger, more athletic, more athletically explosive guy in that spot. Max again, another highly regarded guy as a DN, but played on offense a lot in high school, and he would be one worth watching. Hansford's not worth saying, because he's already... That was him last year. He's going to play a big role in that line backing corp regardless. So I wouldn't say him trying to think of a... Gabe, give me a name here. I don't want to do a returning starter.

Gabe: Okay. Because I had a totally different thought on this.

Billy: Okay. What's your thought?

Gabe: My thought was Anthony Hines, because he's a year removed where he's fully trusted. You got time for him. So like if you're literally putting down stock on Exxon or whatever the heck it is, I'm thinking, "My goodness. The best could totally yet to come for him," where he's got high level ability and he could have two years left.

Billy: Okay. Yeah. So you're talking... We're looking at that differently. I was thinking of a... You're saying a stock-rising veteran. I would totally agree with that. And especially that two-year part. I know when you come out as a 5-star, you don't think you're going to be in college five years and this and that. But if there's a season this year and Anthony Hines gets to play, I think he could position himself so nicely to be a high draft pick after an actual senior season in '21. And I don't think he should race to the NFL. I don't think he should race off and settle for not being a... Because I don't think you go from absolutely nowhere to being a first round pick. I do think it has happened before, but I think Hines can just do this natural progression thing where he is really exceptional in '21 as a senior.

Billy: So yeah, I could see him taking a huge step forward this year, because you saw him do it last year. You saw him get better and better, but there were also areas where you watch him. You're like, "Okay. Maybe the timing is still a little off," in terms of the angles and things. And that's just something that you learn as you go, to keep the head up more, less missed tackles. But I have all the faith in the world in him evolving and leaving here as an NFL draft pick. But I just think he could be... I won't say he hasn't lived up to that star billing yet, because he's played sparingly one year as a true freshman. And last year was really his first full season of college football, and it was impressive.

Billy: He's on track to absolutely live up to his billing coming out of high school. I just think you stay on that track. And yeah, Hines could be... To me, what you're talking about is who's one of the most improved candidates and I would... I might put him at the very top of my list actually. So along those lines, Gabe, I think one of those two tackles will have a much... Like their senior year will be infinitely better than anything we've seen them have so far. I think... I don't know who, but Carson Green or Dan Moore, I feel like one of them will make a big jump. And hopefully, the other one makes a significant enough jump where you go, "Okay. The tackle position is way better than it was last year."

Because last year it was... I don't think it was as bad as people say, but it was very average. It was... They didn't take that leap that you had hoped they would take coming off of a sophomore season where they faced so many good defenders that you saw flashes of it and said, "Okay. They went trial by fire. Now they should really be ready to take a jump." You didn't quite see that. And they were banged up. You had a new coach. And again, they still played five elite defenses. But I just think against some of the lesser teams too, they were beaten too quickly and too easily at times. And I think you'll see that one of those, if not both of them, make a big jump.

Gabe: All right. From stock up, we ramp it up a notch. Who is at the top of your list among breakout star candidates where you're using the word star?

Billy: Breakout star players?

Gabe: Yeah, star players.

Billy: Man, I just think Jhamon Ausbon has put in. You talk about doing this in their career. Jhamon has put in so much work. He looks great. He's continues each year to lean up more and more. No one works harder than him. He's got great chemistry with his quarterback. His quarterback has the utmost faith in him. It's hard not to say Jhamon, but I also think I've got to go with... Man, those second year guys, Gabe, who's it going to be on offense? You got four second-year guys that you could pick from.

You got Kenyon Green. You got Isaiah Spiller. You got Ainias Smith. And you've got the guy I'm going to pick, which is Jalen Wydermyer. I think Kenyon might end up being the most dominant of all that bunch. But I think Jalen Wydermyer is such a weapon as a true freshman that you could see him going in year two to being considered the best tight-end in the SEC. First team, all SEC as a sophomore, I think he could be that good. Go ask. Look what he did last year. Name the games. South Carolina, was a tremendous impact player in that game. Ole Miss, kept A&M in it early. Alabama, the two touchdowns. Late touchdown against Clemson, meaningless they're at the end. It doesn't matter. It's touchdown against Clemson, plus two against Alabama.

Wasn't as big a factor early on against Arkansas and Auburn. And look, the offense struggled. You wonder what it could have done had Wydermyer had emerged by then. He ended up emerging there against Bama, but just some... He's a real weapon. You saw what he did against Georgia. He was a big part of why A&M was able to claw back in that one. So this is the guy that did it against some really good teams, and he is a physical matchup problem. I'm going Jalen Wydermyer on offense.

And defensively, Bobby Brown's getting a lot of love from the SEC.

Gabe: Oh, he is.

Billy: And I see it, but I'm going to go with the safe route here, and go with the guy that I think is the closest to it. And I'm going to go with a... I'm going to jump on the Demani Richardson... I've already been on it. I've been leading that charge since they committed him. I said after signing day, just talking to Jimbo Fisher and some of those guys that came from Florida State. And once they signed him, they said, "Look. He's got Derwin James type potential." And what did he show you last year that didn't make you think that that potential was there?

He looked sensational at times as a true freshman. I think he had a better true freshmen season than Armani Watts did. Remember Armani started off like this, and then he... Remember they had to take him out against Arkansas. He was struggling in that one, ended up having a good freshman year. Armani, he's going to have a chance to start for the Chiefs now. And I think Demani was more impressive as a true freshman. And he's a bigger kid even at that age. So I think I got to go Demani there.

My second one and... Oh, why did I not say... DeMarvin Leal, I'll say this.

Gabe: I had to pick for Leal, actually.

Billy: Okay. And I didn't... When I started out with Bobby, but Demani... So it's crazy we're talking about all these second-year guys in this thing. I'll say this about DeMarvin Leal. And I don't think... I think there are probably people within the program that would agree with this statement. I think DeMarvin Leal by seasons end as a sophomore, I think there's a very good chance you'd be saying, "He's the best football player on Texas A&M’s roster." He could be the best player on the team in 2020.

Gabe Bock: Amen to that, brother. Amen to that.

Billy: I think he's a future All-American. He reminds me... He's got a lot of Ty Warren in him, is what he's got. And to be honest at that age, I think he's out like a harder playing guy than Ty. I think Ty figured it out as he went, because he was so dominant at Bryan High that it was like, "Okay. I'll flip the switch. I'll flip the switch." We've talked about that in the past. But Ty really just figured it out as he went and just got better and better and better and better. But I think DeMarvin, for whatever reason, when you look at him in high school, that stood out to me like, "Big guys like him, don't play every single down like that," like this guy does.

He reminds me of a guy that did do that coming out and ended up being a superstar like Ty Warren was Tommie Harris. Tommie played like that, where I go like, "Man, for a guy that size to just go and go and go like that, you don't see it often." And that was what Tommie did as well. And that's certainly what DeMarvin does.

Gabe: All right. Excellent. All right. So guys who have... The next category, guys who have started, are definitely right there. They've been around for a long time. They played a bunch of football. But man, going into camp and starting immediately here on Monday, they've got their hands full to either win a job or to hold onto a job, because of what's coming in behind them. They're going to have to fight like heck to fend off other players. Who's at the top of that list

Billy: You know what's interesting, Gabe? And I wish we had that list. You probably remember it. The draft guy tweeted the other day about A&M and their draft eligible. Not draft eligible, but like their seniors. And he mentioned all these guys that were impressive-

Gabe: Jim Nagy.

Billy: For the Senior Bowl.

Gabe: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I remember.

Billy: What was his name?

Gabe: Jim Naggy or Nagy from the Senior Bowl, yep.

Billy: The Senior Bowl guy. And he mentioned Micheal Clemons. Who did he mention? Did he-

Gabe: Clemons, Jones.

Billy: Clemons, Myles Jones.

Gabe: But, of course, Buddy and then he mentioned Chattman.

Billy: Buddy Johnson and Clifford Chattman. Here's the thing. Those guys... And on that... They were all on defense, right?

Gabe: Yeah, yeah.

Billy: And those guys are all going to be pushed to varying... Oh, he mentioned Peevy as well.

Gabe: Yeah. You didn't even mention Blades.

Billy: Those guys are all going to be pushed to varying degrees here, right? Because yeah, I've been real impressed. Peevy could be a breakout guy this year. We haven't mentioned him. He's played plenty, but he hasn't just gotten the chance just to be the dude. Peevy could be a breakout player this year for Mike Elko. I mean there's no... That wouldn't surprise anyone inside the program. For him, it's just staying healthy a whole season. He gets banged up and stuff, but Peevy, Clemons, ... Clemons quietly made plays. Okay. He wasn't a flashy real impressive guy. I had a guy asked me the other day, a friend of mine and he's like, "Well, he's never going to be any good. Is he? He was a bust."

Well, first of all, he didn't come in with a lot of hype. So I just... Sometimes this mindset of just this negative. You're seeing it all over the country right now. Everybody just loves the negative. And it's like, "He didn't come in with a lot of hype for starters." Secondly, like Anthony Hines last year, he missed a year with injury. Last year was really his first to say, "Hey. You're a starter full-time." Micheal Clemons made some plays, good plays in Aggie wins. He was solid. He wasn't special last year. If he takes a next jump, he can be a rock solid starter for you. So could Miles Jones who Jimbo has mentioned in both interviews, all three interviews I've done with him this off season.

Clifford Chattman, I watched that Ole Miss game the other night. He had a huge interception in that game.

Gabe: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Billy: Very unique prospect. Buddy Johnson, you could see... Speaking of the Ole Miss game, you could see his name popping up on some all SEC lists going into and, especially, coming out of this season. But guess what? All of those guys are going to have a hard time, A, either hanging on to their starting job, if they have one. Or B, just seeing their playing time cut into, because they have so much depth at those positions. And that tells you, Gabe, how far along this A&M defense has come in two years under Mike Elko and Jimbo Fisher and company, just through the recruiting. You got guys that are good, that are NFL prospects, that are going to have to fight and have really good camps in order to hang on to things.

Billy: And on offense, I would say Cam Buckley, because of everything we talked about at receiver, all that depth and that young depth and guys that haven't played. I didn't even mention guys like Jalen Preston. And then to Cam's credit, he has had a sensational off season. And I think people sleep on Camron. They sleep on... The guy's made some big plays in some big games for A&M-

Gabe: Definitely.

Billy: Particularly as a freshman. So he's a guy that has... He created quite a bit of buzz this off season. It's like, "Hey. This guy's not just giving this up. He's planning to start this year at the slot." So he... But he'll have to fight for it. And I think a guy like Jared Hocker, they don't have as much behind the start and tackles, you'd have to move people around. But on the inside, there are guys. Ryan McCollum has played centering guard. So if Luke Matthews emerges, maybe McCollum pushes Hocker at guard. If you're talking about, "Hey. Let's get the best five out here."

Billy: I think I mentioned Aki and how talented he is. I think Chris Morris could have really benefited, and Bankhead, both could have benefited from having a spring and those 15 practices. Unfortunately they didn't. But there's competent... Layden Robinson, I didn't mention that. He's going to be... He's a guy that has certainly... They look at it as a guy that could start on the interior at some point over the next couple of years. So I'm not saying again, like Buckley, Hocker has the inside track to start. All that experience, he's a grown man in there. He knows the offense. But those veterans have to perform, because there is... Just like we were talking about on defense, there's so much young talent that's going to be nipping at their heels.

Gabe: And then finally we'll close with a two-parter and peak at the schedule as it stands now. And certainly this thing could change, but I assume that your commentary will center around the SEC portion of the schedule. Which if there is a schedule, probably that would stay relatively intact. What's the most important game, part A? And then what is the... Outside of the big three, at Auburn, Alabama and LSU at home, what is the biggest potential stumbling block or roadblock in A&M's quest to be a college football playoff candidate.

Billy: Start with the roadblocks, there are a lot of them. I know we don't think that. Especially with the season, it's going to be fairly topsy turvy. I think that would be... Man, that's going to be a tough one. It's a... Because I'm of the opinion that Ole Miss might be the best team of the group. They returned some dudes on defense. They've got the running back. They've got... I think they'll figure it out at quarterback. I think they've got a good offensive system there, but they are coming to Kyle Field. But again, you're not going to have the home field advantage you normally would have at Kyle. So it's not like they're coming into Kyle at night in front of 90,000.

Billy: So I think Ole Miss is going to be the best team of that bunch. But as the schedule lays out, I'm going to actually... And I think going to Starkville is always scary and they're going to have Costello and freaking Kylin Hill, who I really was thinking was going to turn pro and he didn't. So he's an exceptional back, but-

Gabe: And now he'll be in their history books. He's a hero for both fan bases.

Billy: Well, yeah. And should be, and again, that was nice. But I think that the right thing happened there, but I think that movement, he just kicked it over the top there by speaking out again. Shows the power that these athletes have right now. But I'm just talking about him as a football player. He is, "Wooo."

Gabe: He's awesome.

Billy: I think he's really good to go with Costello in that Leach offense, but I don't know what they're going to have defensively. I think that's scary too, though. On the road you go in there, especially if there's not any cow bells and it's just like... And then all of a sudden this offense is explosive and starts lightening you up. You realize, "Oh. We're in the shootout." That one will be tough.

Billy: But I'm going to South Carolina, Gabe, because it's... I was going to say this anyway, they got a good solid quarterback in Hilinski. They're going to always be well coached defensively and aggressive and physical. And the thing... The reason I picked that one is Muschamp's back's against the wall. Maybe less so now with the way things are going to be monetarily. I don't think many schools are going to be firing coaches. But you're... Let's just talk about it as it was going to be. Your biggest game of the season to that point will have been Auburn. You traveled to Auburn in Jordan-Hare. Come home. So win or lose, either you'd suffer this emotionally and physically draining setback. And then you have to load up and go the very next week, your longest road trip in the conference, all the way out to Columbia and play a very capable team, just ask Georgia.

Billy: By the way, no one talks about that on our boards. Everyone talks about how shaky A&M looked early against Ok State and how shaky they looked at Ole Miss. There's whole thread about that. No one talks about it. A&M was up on South Carolina last year, gave 30 to three. 30 to three

Gabe: Yeah. That was a beatdown.

Billy: And they beat the crap out of Mississippi State. They were trending the right way, and they took Georgia down to the final possession on the road in Athens, between the hedges. And then they got steamrolled by LSU, and everybody went into the tank. And it was an ugly loss and it was an embarrassing loss, but everybody went in the tank. They beat Georgia like that. They beat OU as bad as that or worse at a neutral site. And then they whipped up on Clemson. Everyone just focuses on that. This was a team that was really getting better down the stretch last year. And the schedule caught them. LSU caught him going to Baton Rouge on senior night with Baux, B-A-U-X, caught them.

Billy: But they were getting better. One of those team's South Carolina, but going on the road there the week after Auburn, either a devastating loss or a huge win that might make you ride that high and overlook a capable team in the Gamecocks. And again, like I said, just look at what they did to Georgia last year. So that one stands out to me. I think there are some tough tests next year. Arkansas is even always tough now for whatever crazy reason. So the Aggies will have to be good. They'll have to be, I think, a legitimate, one of the 12 best teams in the country to come out of those four games unscathed. I think had none of this happened in terms of we're going to have fans and the schedule goes off as planned, I think they would have made it through those four. But I think three of those four would have been decided in the second half of the fourth quarter. Still do. The biggest game to close it out, the most important to me is actually, it's Auburn.

Gabe: Always is.

Billy: Auburn at Jordan-Hare. Yeah. You go back and look, man. Had they beaten Auburn a couple of... What are they? A three and five against Auburn in eight years?

Gabe: Yeah.

Billy: Is it eight? Yeah. Eight years. Three and five against Auburn.

Gabe: They’ve won what? Once or not at all since '15. They beat them in '16. .

Billy: They lost three in a row.

Gabe: Yeah, '14.

Billy: Let me tell you what you don't need to do. You don't need to lose four in a row.

Gabe: No.

Billy: You don't need... Jimbo does not need to go 0 and three against Auburn coming out of the chute. Especially when you should have won that first one. Yeah, they had a chance. A&M and Auburn had a chance. A&M had a chance to get Gus fired about three different times.

Gabe: Yeah.

Billy: And you look at the seasons. First of all, you look at their conference records since A&M joined. Auburn... Or since I think in the last five years, you look at their conference record. Auburn is one game higher than A&M. I think they're 21 or 22-18. A&M is like 21-19 or something like that. They're one game better. So there's that, if you're talking about pecking order in the SEC. And there are certainly those two. We talk about LSU and Bama. And then we talk about, "Oh, you got to beat the Mississippi schools." Well, they've been doing that and they're undefeated against Arkansas and South Carolina. And LSU and Alabama, yes, those are who you got to catch, but Auburn is who you're jockeying with.

And Gus has been close to being fired multiple times, and you let him come in to Kyle and beat the brakes off of you, when there was no business that Auburn team should not have beaten A&M in 2015. They hammered you with Johnson at quarterback who was terrible, couldn't complete a downfield pass. And then in '17, someone's last year, Auburn was on the ropes again. They came in and stood them, caught fire, and they ran you out at Kyle field. And then there was the game at Auburn, Jimbo's first year, where you had it completely in hand, and you let it slip away. That would have put Gus on the hot seat.

So many times you talk about the swing game that the horse collar, no call was, with Johnny in 2013.

Gabe: Oh, man.

Billy: And what does that mean, if A&M wins that game? At the very least, it means they go into Baton Rouge in the next last week of the season as a legitimate national title contender. And Johnny is probably right there with Jameis for a repeat Heisman and college football immortality. So that Auburn game, and it swung things the right way for A&M two or three times. That Auburn game is to me, it's the most important. But here's the biggest reason why, Gabe. You have a chance to be six, seven and 0. I think that. Is the Auburn game seven?

Gabe: Yeah. 12th or 8th.

Billy: I think it's game seven.

Gabe: Okay. Oh, you're talking about week seven.

Billy: Yeah.

Gabe: Yes.

Billy: Game seven, whatever.

Gabe: Yes.

Billy: Yeah.

Gabe: I thought you were talking about how many years we've played them. I'm sorry.

Billy: No, they played them eight. This will be nine.

Gabe: This will be nine.

Billy: I think it was game seven of the season and then would have a real shot to be 6-0 going up there. They'll be favored to be that. We're talking about if they're conference games. But if you go in there and you knock them off in Jordan-Hare, and that's when A&M becomes a legitimate national title, a legitimate SEC. Probably a legitimate SEC title, a legitimate playoff contender. And then you go and you're going to be favored in every other game you play going into Tuscaloosa. Here's why that Auburn game matters the most to me. If you go into Bama and if you're undefeated going into eight days left in the regular season, the recruiting battle is won at that point, regardless of what happens in the last two games. Because you're entering the final eight days of the regular season as a legit bonafide playoff contender.

Even if you lose to Bama, you're coming into Kyle Field against LSU with still a look at it. If you could beat the Tigers and then you sit back championship weekend aside, it makes that LSU game incredibly important. It makes that Bama game one of the biggest games in the SEC that season. So the whole country is watching that one. So yeah, I think it probably punches your ticket into a New Year Six bowl game, which A&M has. I still say they did it in 2012, because before this whole New Year Six thing, and they obviously would have been in one and the Cotton Bowl was one. Your opponent would have been in there.

Gabe: ‘13 is Peach.

Billy: Well, the Peach, yeah. But I don't know if they had gotten in there at that... They wouldn't have gotten there that year, Gabe, at 8-4. See to me, that one wasn't in the-

Gabe: I gotcha. I gotcha.

Billy: Cotton Bowl was. But anyway, my point is, it probably means a New Year's six bowl. I think Auburn is not only important... My dog is just battling a plastic water bottle right now.

Gabe: I was wondering if the cleaning people where there.

Billy: He's just going crazy. But yeah. So I think Auburn not only is significant as a standalone because of what it means for the pecking order in the West, but I also think it's a table setter for everything else that lies behind it.

Gabe: Tell you what, Looch. 40 good minutes of football right there, my friend. That felt good. That felt good.

Billy: Yeah. And it's going to be interesting that schedule is going to... I don't think it's going to stay as is, maybe they only get eight games in. Maybe they only get... Maybe they play nine or 10 conference games. Maybe they do get a couple of non-conference in. I just... Everything's so much in the air. And I think doing the exercise that we just did, let's just do that for a little bit. Let's just talk about the season as if it's going to play out.

Gabe: Absolutely.

Billy: Nobody knows what's going to happen with the college football season. And I just think with the players reporting on Monday, in terms of getting back to those full-scale workouts. Like you do what Jimbo's doing, and you're just preparing for the season, what he and the coaches and players are going to do, and they start getting ready. And if they get to play, I think A&M is really positioned to have that breakout season. It's just so fascinating is that we're sitting here a week after the 4th of July, and you don't know who A&M's... You don't know. You don't know who they're playing. You don't know if anyone's going to be in the stands to watch it.

Gabe: Different world.

Billy: You don't know when it's going to start. It's crazy. It really is crazy. But if they do play, I think this is going to be a really good football team. And you hope that they can focus up, dial it in, and play with that level of intensity. Because on the one hand, you go, "Man, you'd hate to see A&M slip up," and just maybe not take it as seriously as some of these other teams, if there's no fans. Like what if Mississippi State or Ole Miss or Colorado, whoever, are just more dialed in and because with no fans and it feels like a practice, it feels like you're scrimmaging and who's going to take it more seriously?

That's a big thing. You've lost the home field advantage in a lot of these instances. But by the same token, who's to say that Jimbo Fisher won't have his team more ready. Maybe it's Auburn that slips down a level. Maybe it is Mississippi State under a new coach, or Arkansas or South Carolina or Ole Miss. And these teams under these first year coaches, maybe their level is not quite up enough, because they just had coaches fired. So their culture waned a little bit, and it's not where it should be. This could actually play to A&M's advantage. We don't know that.

And so maybe there's an opportunity here for A&M to do even more than what we're expecting. And that's something that I don't think we, as the people covering it or the fan base, have really looked at as a possibility. But that's certainly there because while A&M isn't in that upper echelon yet, they return enough where they're being mentioned in the conversation. You look at the title odds. You look at the SEC and national title odds. You look at some of the predictions. You look at the preseason rankings.

If you're in that top 10, 12, this might be the year that a team like that you do look up after a crazy Saturday and say, "Man, they were just so much more ready to play." That group of seniors and that head coach in that scrimmage type atmosphere, and they came out and they just flat out outplayed Auburn. They came out and they shocked Bama. Who knows, man? So as much as the concern is that it could go one way, the excitement that it could go another way, I think it's time people start paying attention to that possibility as well.

Gabe: Outstanding. That's fascinating stuff. All right. Thanks, Looch.

Billy: All right, Buddy, Good stuff.

Gabe: That is a special feature featuring what? Football talk on TexAgs.com. Enjoy that. The players report on Monday

 

[Fud 9546]

13 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:

  Hide contents

As Aggie players prepare to report for OTAs, Billy Liucci and Gabe Bock discuss some of the top players in categories like impact newcomers and breakout stars and also break down the most important games on Texas A&M's 2020 schedule.

Press PLAY to watch the video above or read the transcript below.

---

Gabe Bock: Welcome back to a special edition of TexAgs.com. We're talking football with Billy Liucci. The players set to report on Monday. And Liucci's with us on the video hotline, and Billy, who knows what the heck is going to happen with this season, but we're assuming it's going to go off. We're assuming there will be one. So let's talk about what is to come when fall camp gets underway and they're basically doing OTA starting on Monday. So I got six little, a six pack, with one player answer per topic. But for you, feel free to go as deep as you want to go on these. We'll start with impact newcomers. Impact newcomers in fall camp and leading into the 2020 season, who's at the top of your list there?

Billy Liucci: That's a really tough one to narrow down when you've got... You're on the heels of the number three ranked class, that's been here only a year. So a lot of those guys, even though they played a lot, there'll be some of them that are going to be newcomers still coming out of that class. And then you've got the 2020 class that was ranked number six. I'm going to start my list with the 5-stars, Jaylon Jones and Demond Demas. I think Demas is the most talented athlete I've seen A&M sign. He's up there with Johnny Manziel and I wouldn't have said that about Johnny when he signed, but I think he has the potential to be just a guy that changes games, because of what he can do athletically. And that's what Johnny turned out to be.

But I think he could be that guy. He could be as good as any of those Alabama receivers and probably better. He can be as good as any of those guys at LSU. He's more physically gifted than those guys, even those guys. But there's a lot that has to happen for him to reach that status and be that top 10 pick, like some of those guys were. And I'm not saying that the production or the end result will be there, but it certainly can. And he could have a major impact day one.

To me, there's so much you can do, even if some of the things are slow to him to come, because it is a complicated offense. He didn't have a spring ball and this has been a late starting, even summer and fall. But I think just the way he can go up and catch a fade, if you get them to where he knows how to release off the ball, the way the things he can do, even in the bubble and bubble screen game and the wide receiver screen game, just throw it to him. Let him make some guys miss and get down. Things like that, fade him up from the middle of the field. There are things you can do before he really just evolves as a wide receiver and comes into his own. So I think even if that's it, he's still an impact guy. So I'll go with him on offense.

On defense, give me Jaylon Jones-slash-Brian George. There's a world where both of them could be starting this year. There's competition with Elijah Blades is a senior. Myles Jones is a very experienced senior, but Jaylon is special. And I've heard some really good things about Brian George and his makeup. He's got that dog mentality playing the cornerback position and that physicality and that fearlessness. And I think that'll give him a real shot if he can pick things up quickly in Mike Elko's defense.

Gabe: Corner could quickly wind up becoming a strength of this team. And it's been a long time since we've been able to say that.

Billy: I've heard so many good things though about this incoming class, it's just wild. And between... Antonio Johnson's gained almost 15 pounds since getting here, looks terrific. Haynes King has put on, I've been told, I think 14, 15 pounds of muscle since getting here. Moose Muhammad looked, was having a really nice off season before it was cut short. Isaiah Raikes, Fadil Diggs. Some of those linemen, I know Akinola. Aki to me was a guy that Georgia desperately wanted. He can come in and... There's so many, but I'm going to go with the two 5-stars and the JC guy, because I think they're the most ready to go in terms of coming in and there's opportunity at those positions.

Gabe: Who do you think will be at the top of your list of surprise players? Be that veterans or semi young guys, who's at the top of your list amongst surprise players this fall?

Billy: We're having a tough time with receiver. So it's going to be somebody. Gosh, it's going to be two of them. I think two of the wide receivers are going to be a big surprise this year. And I think it's going to be... I'm having a tough time. Chase Lane is always the first name I come to because of his over the top, take the top off speed. And maybe his impact he could have in the return game. So he's a guy that I always go back to as somebody that just he pops out first, because he brings a little something different to the table.

But Kam Brown is a guy that I've heard good things about this off season early on. Caleb Chapman, again, the guy can be on the outside. I know he can go up and catch the football. I know he can make contested grabs. I know he's almost 6'4", he's over 6'3". And he's one of the fastest guys on the team, if not the fastest. So Dylan Wright is a guy that the first time I saw him, I thought, "He's going to be a difference maker." And I haven't heard anything to say, he's not. Dylan Wright, he's not as fast as some of those guys, but he's a lot bigger and he can go up and get it, man. He can go up and snatch the ball out of the air. He's aggressive. He's physical. I think two guys out that receiving corp are going to be a really pleasant surprises this year offensively.

And then on defense, I don't know why I'm saying this yet. I don't know exactly why I'm saying this, but because I am just going off of... I just liked him so much in high school, just as a football player. But I think somehow, some way Brian Williams, as a sophomore, the safety, finds a role in that defense. I don't know if he's your permanent nickel guy like Elam was going to be and Capers-Smith was. Because I feel Elko tends to find more corner types there. Although both of those guys were corner safety and then landed in the nickel. So I don't know if he's there, but I just feel Brian Williams will find some way to be impactful on that defense.

My other pick would be, as the season wears on, Edgerrin Cooper, believe it or not. And that's a tough one to say, because you got an Antonio Doyle, who just announced he's coming. He's on his way. Really highly regarded linebacker. You've got Andre White, incredibly high on. You got Chris Russell, who no one's ruled out yet. He red shirt. A lot of times, these guys red shirt, or they're just special teams. Maybe that... Yeah, he probably played more than four games, but you forget about them. That was a big recruiting win for them. It could have easily gone with him. I'm actually though, I'm going to go with, I think Edgerrin Cooper, man. He's special athletically. And I think that would be more of a second half of the season type guy.

Gabe: All right. How about a stock-up veteran player? It doesn't have to be a senior, but a guy who's been around here for a long time. And if you could just throw some stock into it and say, "Look. The best is definitely yet to come," who's at the top of your list?

Billy: Okay. First off, there's one name I haven't mentioned that you could use in either the surprise guy or the impact newcomer. And I should've absolutely not gone on without saying the name, Erick Young. Erick Young as a second year guy has a great chance to start. He was hurt in fall camp last year. That hurt him. He made the move to safety. He's looked really good. People are beyond excited about his potential in the program. And he's got that mentality too. Don't forget he's from my neighborhood, so he's right mentally.

Gabe: No, he's a beast.

Billy: Yeah, he really is. People forget this is the guy that picked A&M over Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC. It was a huge recruiting win. He was so impressive. Remember during the opening and the summer and just by at least one service was a 5-star and was close on the others. He's going to be really good. So let me mention him.

You were talking about a veteran. Max Wright could do that as a tight end. And I think an H-back type, all this versatility. Like what you saw from a Renick last year, but just a bigger, more athletic, more athletically explosive guy in that spot. Max again, another highly regarded guy as a DN, but played on offense a lot in high school, and he would be one worth watching. Hansford's not worth saying, because he's already... That was him last year. He's going to play a big role in that line backing corp regardless. So I wouldn't say him trying to think of a... Gabe, give me a name here. I don't want to do a returning starter.

Gabe: Okay. Because I had a totally different thought on this.

Billy: Okay. What's your thought?

Gabe: My thought was Anthony Hines, because he's a year removed where he's fully trusted. You got time for him. So like if you're literally putting down stock on Exxon or whatever the heck it is, I'm thinking, "My goodness. The best could totally yet to come for him," where he's got high level ability and he could have two years left.

Billy: Okay. Yeah. So you're talking... We're looking at that differently. I was thinking of a... You're saying a stock-rising veteran. I would totally agree with that. And especially that two-year part. I know when you come out as a 5-star, you don't think you're going to be in college five years and this and that. But if there's a season this year and Anthony Hines gets to play, I think he could position himself so nicely to be a high draft pick after an actual senior season in '21. And I don't think he should race to the NFL. I don't think he should race off and settle for not being a... Because I don't think you go from absolutely nowhere to being a first round pick. I do think it has happened before, but I think Hines can just do this natural progression thing where he is really exceptional in '21 as a senior.

Billy: So yeah, I could see him taking a huge step forward this year, because you saw him do it last year. You saw him get better and better, but there were also areas where you watch him. You're like, "Okay. Maybe the timing is still a little off," in terms of the angles and things. And that's just something that you learn as you go, to keep the head up more, less missed tackles. But I have all the faith in the world in him evolving and leaving here as an NFL draft pick. But I just think he could be... I won't say he hasn't lived up to that star billing yet, because he's played sparingly one year as a true freshman. And last year was really his first full season of college football, and it was impressive.

Billy: He's on track to absolutely live up to his billing coming out of high school. I just think you stay on that track. And yeah, Hines could be... To me, what you're talking about is who's one of the most improved candidates and I would... I might put him at the very top of my list actually. So along those lines, Gabe, I think one of those two tackles will have a much... Like their senior year will be infinitely better than anything we've seen them have so far. I think... I don't know who, but Carson Green or Dan Moore, I feel like one of them will make a big jump. And hopefully, the other one makes a significant enough jump where you go, "Okay. The tackle position is way better than it was last year."

Because last year it was... I don't think it was as bad as people say, but it was very average. It was... They didn't take that leap that you had hoped they would take coming off of a sophomore season where they faced so many good defenders that you saw flashes of it and said, "Okay. They went trial by fire. Now they should really be ready to take a jump." You didn't quite see that. And they were banged up. You had a new coach. And again, they still played five elite defenses. But I just think against some of the lesser teams too, they were beaten too quickly and too easily at times. And I think you'll see that one of those, if not both of them, make a big jump.

Gabe: All right. From stock up, we ramp it up a notch. Who is at the top of your list among breakout star candidates where you're using the word star?

Billy: Breakout star players?

Gabe: Yeah, star players.

Billy: Man, I just think Jhamon Ausbon has put in. You talk about doing this in their career. Jhamon has put in so much work. He looks great. He's continues each year to lean up more and more. No one works harder than him. He's got great chemistry with his quarterback. His quarterback has the utmost faith in him. It's hard not to say Jhamon, but I also think I've got to go with... Man, those second year guys, Gabe, who's it going to be on offense? You got four second-year guys that you could pick from.

You got Kenyon Green. You got Isaiah Spiller. You got Ainias Smith. And you've got the guy I'm going to pick, which is Jalen Wydermyer. I think Kenyon might end up being the most dominant of all that bunch. But I think Jalen Wydermyer is such a weapon as a true freshman that you could see him going in year two to being considered the best tight-end in the SEC. First team, all SEC as a sophomore, I think he could be that good. Go ask. Look what he did last year. Name the games. South Carolina, was a tremendous impact player in that game. Ole Miss, kept A&M in it early. Alabama, the two touchdowns. Late touchdown against Clemson, meaningless they're at the end. It doesn't matter. It's touchdown against Clemson, plus two against Alabama.

Wasn't as big a factor early on against Arkansas and Auburn. And look, the offense struggled. You wonder what it could have done had Wydermyer had emerged by then. He ended up emerging there against Bama, but just some... He's a real weapon. You saw what he did against Georgia. He was a big part of why A&M was able to claw back in that one. So this is the guy that did it against some really good teams, and he is a physical matchup problem. I'm going Jalen Wydermyer on offense.

And defensively, Bobby Brown's getting a lot of love from the SEC.

Gabe: Oh, he is.

Billy: And I see it, but I'm going to go with the safe route here, and go with the guy that I think is the closest to it. And I'm going to go with a... I'm going to jump on the Demani Richardson... I've already been on it. I've been leading that charge since they committed him. I said after signing day, just talking to Jimbo Fisher and some of those guys that came from Florida State. And once they signed him, they said, "Look. He's got Derwin James type potential." And what did he show you last year that didn't make you think that that potential was there?

He looked sensational at times as a true freshman. I think he had a better true freshmen season than Armani Watts did. Remember Armani started off like this, and then he... Remember they had to take him out against Arkansas. He was struggling in that one, ended up having a good freshman year. Armani, he's going to have a chance to start for the Chiefs now. And I think Demani was more impressive as a true freshman. And he's a bigger kid even at that age. So I think I got to go Demani there.

My second one and... Oh, why did I not say... DeMarvin Leal, I'll say this.

Gabe: I had to pick for Leal, actually.

Billy: Okay. And I didn't... When I started out with Bobby, but Demani... So it's crazy we're talking about all these second-year guys in this thing. I'll say this about DeMarvin Leal. And I don't think... I think there are probably people within the program that would agree with this statement. I think DeMarvin Leal by seasons end as a sophomore, I think there's a very good chance you'd be saying, "He's the best football player on Texas A&M’s roster." He could be the best player on the team in 2020.

Gabe Bock: Amen to that, brother. Amen to that.

Billy: I think he's a future All-American. He reminds me... He's got a lot of Ty Warren in him, is what he's got. And to be honest at that age, I think he's out like a harder playing guy than Ty. I think Ty figured it out as he went, because he was so dominant at Bryan High that it was like, "Okay. I'll flip the switch. I'll flip the switch." We've talked about that in the past. But Ty really just figured it out as he went and just got better and better and better and better. But I think DeMarvin, for whatever reason, when you look at him in high school, that stood out to me like, "Big guys like him, don't play every single down like that," like this guy does.

He reminds me of a guy that did do that coming out and ended up being a superstar like Ty Warren was Tommie Harris. Tommie played like that, where I go like, "Man, for a guy that size to just go and go and go like that, you don't see it often." And that was what Tommie did as well. And that's certainly what DeMarvin does.

Gabe: All right. Excellent. All right. So guys who have... The next category, guys who have started, are definitely right there. They've been around for a long time. They played a bunch of football. But man, going into camp and starting immediately here on Monday, they've got their hands full to either win a job or to hold onto a job, because of what's coming in behind them. They're going to have to fight like heck to fend off other players. Who's at the top of that list

Billy: You know what's interesting, Gabe? And I wish we had that list. You probably remember it. The draft guy tweeted the other day about A&M and their draft eligible. Not draft eligible, but like their seniors. And he mentioned all these guys that were impressive-

Gabe: Jim Nagy.

Billy: For the Senior Bowl.

Gabe: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I remember.

Billy: What was his name?

Gabe: Jim Naggy or Nagy from the Senior Bowl, yep.

Billy: The Senior Bowl guy. And he mentioned Micheal Clemons. Who did he mention? Did he-

Gabe: Clemons, Jones.

Billy: Clemons, Myles Jones.

Gabe: But, of course, Buddy and then he mentioned Chattman.

Billy: Buddy Johnson and Clifford Chattman. Here's the thing. Those guys... And on that... They were all on defense, right?

Gabe: Yeah, yeah.

Billy: And those guys are all going to be pushed to varying... Oh, he mentioned Peevy as well.

Gabe: Yeah. You didn't even mention Blades.

Billy: Those guys are all going to be pushed to varying degrees here, right? Because yeah, I've been real impressed. Peevy could be a breakout guy this year. We haven't mentioned him. He's played plenty, but he hasn't just gotten the chance just to be the dude. Peevy could be a breakout player this year for Mike Elko. I mean there's no... That wouldn't surprise anyone inside the program. For him, it's just staying healthy a whole season. He gets banged up and stuff, but Peevy, Clemons, ... Clemons quietly made plays. Okay. He wasn't a flashy real impressive guy. I had a guy asked me the other day, a friend of mine and he's like, "Well, he's never going to be any good. Is he? He was a bust."

Well, first of all, he didn't come in with a lot of hype. So I just... Sometimes this mindset of just this negative. You're seeing it all over the country right now. Everybody just loves the negative. And it's like, "He didn't come in with a lot of hype for starters." Secondly, like Anthony Hines last year, he missed a year with injury. Last year was really his first to say, "Hey. You're a starter full-time." Micheal Clemons made some plays, good plays in Aggie wins. He was solid. He wasn't special last year. If he takes a next jump, he can be a rock solid starter for you. So could Miles Jones who Jimbo has mentioned in both interviews, all three interviews I've done with him this off season.

Clifford Chattman, I watched that Ole Miss game the other night. He had a huge interception in that game.

Gabe: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Billy: Very unique prospect. Buddy Johnson, you could see... Speaking of the Ole Miss game, you could see his name popping up on some all SEC lists going into and, especially, coming out of this season. But guess what? All of those guys are going to have a hard time, A, either hanging on to their starting job, if they have one. Or B, just seeing their playing time cut into, because they have so much depth at those positions. And that tells you, Gabe, how far along this A&M defense has come in two years under Mike Elko and Jimbo Fisher and company, just through the recruiting. You got guys that are good, that are NFL prospects, that are going to have to fight and have really good camps in order to hang on to things.

Billy: And on offense, I would say Cam Buckley, because of everything we talked about at receiver, all that depth and that young depth and guys that haven't played. I didn't even mention guys like Jalen Preston. And then to Cam's credit, he has had a sensational off season. And I think people sleep on Camron. They sleep on... The guy's made some big plays in some big games for A&M-

Gabe: Definitely.

Billy: Particularly as a freshman. So he's a guy that has... He created quite a bit of buzz this off season. It's like, "Hey. This guy's not just giving this up. He's planning to start this year at the slot." So he... But he'll have to fight for it. And I think a guy like Jared Hocker, they don't have as much behind the start and tackles, you'd have to move people around. But on the inside, there are guys. Ryan McCollum has played centering guard. So if Luke Matthews emerges, maybe McCollum pushes Hocker at guard. If you're talking about, "Hey. Let's get the best five out here."

Billy: I think I mentioned Aki and how talented he is. I think Chris Morris could have really benefited, and Bankhead, both could have benefited from having a spring and those 15 practices. Unfortunately they didn't. But there's competent... Layden Robinson, I didn't mention that. He's going to be... He's a guy that has certainly... They look at it as a guy that could start on the interior at some point over the next couple of years. So I'm not saying again, like Buckley, Hocker has the inside track to start. All that experience, he's a grown man in there. He knows the offense. But those veterans have to perform, because there is... Just like we were talking about on defense, there's so much young talent that's going to be nipping at their heels.

Gabe: And then finally we'll close with a two-parter and peak at the schedule as it stands now. And certainly this thing could change, but I assume that your commentary will center around the SEC portion of the schedule. Which if there is a schedule, probably that would stay relatively intact. What's the most important game, part A? And then what is the... Outside of the big three, at Auburn, Alabama and LSU at home, what is the biggest potential stumbling block or roadblock in A&M's quest to be a college football playoff candidate.

Billy: Start with the roadblocks, there are a lot of them. I know we don't think that. Especially with the season, it's going to be fairly topsy turvy. I think that would be... Man, that's going to be a tough one. It's a... Because I'm of the opinion that Ole Miss might be the best team of the group. They returned some dudes on defense. They've got the running back. They've got... I think they'll figure it out at quarterback. I think they've got a good offensive system there, but they are coming to Kyle Field. But again, you're not going to have the home field advantage you normally would have at Kyle. So it's not like they're coming into Kyle at night in front of 90,000.

Billy: So I think Ole Miss is going to be the best team of that bunch. But as the schedule lays out, I'm going to actually... And I think going to Starkville is always scary and they're going to have Costello and freaking Kylin Hill, who I really was thinking was going to turn pro and he didn't. So he's an exceptional back, but-

Gabe: And now he'll be in their history books. He's a hero for both fan bases.

Billy: Well, yeah. And should be, and again, that was nice. But I think that the right thing happened there, but I think that movement, he just kicked it over the top there by speaking out again. Shows the power that these athletes have right now. But I'm just talking about him as a football player. He is, "Wooo."

Gabe: He's awesome.

Billy: I think he's really good to go with Costello in that Leach offense, but I don't know what they're going to have defensively. I think that's scary too, though. On the road you go in there, especially if there's not any cow bells and it's just like... And then all of a sudden this offense is explosive and starts lightening you up. You realize, "Oh. We're in the shootout." That one will be tough.

Billy: But I'm going to South Carolina, Gabe, because it's... I was going to say this anyway, they got a good solid quarterback in Hilinski. They're going to always be well coached defensively and aggressive and physical. And the thing... The reason I picked that one is Muschamp's back's against the wall. Maybe less so now with the way things are going to be monetarily. I don't think many schools are going to be firing coaches. But you're... Let's just talk about it as it was going to be. Your biggest game of the season to that point will have been Auburn. You traveled to Auburn in Jordan-Hare. Come home. So win or lose, either you'd suffer this emotionally and physically draining setback. And then you have to load up and go the very next week, your longest road trip in the conference, all the way out to Columbia and play a very capable team, just ask Georgia.

Billy: By the way, no one talks about that on our boards. Everyone talks about how shaky A&M looked early against Ok State and how shaky they looked at Ole Miss. There's whole thread about that. No one talks about it. A&M was up on South Carolina last year, gave 30 to three. 30 to three

Gabe: Yeah. That was a beatdown.

Billy: And they beat the crap out of Mississippi State. They were trending the right way, and they took Georgia down to the final possession on the road in Athens, between the hedges. And then they got steamrolled by LSU, and everybody went into the tank. And it was an ugly loss and it was an embarrassing loss, but everybody went in the tank. They beat Georgia like that. They beat OU as bad as that or worse at a neutral site. And then they whipped up on Clemson. Everyone just focuses on that. This was a team that was really getting better down the stretch last year. And the schedule caught them. LSU caught him going to Baton Rouge on senior night with Baux, B-A-U-X, caught them.

Billy: But they were getting better. One of those team's South Carolina, but going on the road there the week after Auburn, either a devastating loss or a huge win that might make you ride that high and overlook a capable team in the Gamecocks. And again, like I said, just look at what they did to Georgia last year. So that one stands out to me. I think there are some tough tests next year. Arkansas is even always tough now for whatever crazy reason. So the Aggies will have to be good. They'll have to be, I think, a legitimate, one of the 12 best teams in the country to come out of those four games unscathed. I think had none of this happened in terms of we're going to have fans and the schedule goes off as planned, I think they would have made it through those four. But I think three of those four would have been decided in the second half of the fourth quarter. Still do. The biggest game to close it out, the most important to me is actually, it's Auburn.

Gabe: Always is.

Billy: Auburn at Jordan-Hare. Yeah. You go back and look, man. Had they beaten Auburn a couple of... What are they? A three and five against Auburn in eight years?

Gabe: Yeah.

Billy: Is it eight? Yeah. Eight years. Three and five against Auburn.

Gabe: They’ve won what? Once or not at all since '15. They beat them in '16. .

Billy: They lost three in a row.

Gabe: Yeah, '14.

Billy: Let me tell you what you don't need to do. You don't need to lose four in a row.

Gabe: No.

Billy: You don't need... Jimbo does not need to go 0 and three against Auburn coming out of the chute. Especially when you should have won that first one. Yeah, they had a chance. A&M and Auburn had a chance. A&M had a chance to get Gus fired about three different times.

Gabe: Yeah.

Billy: And you look at the seasons. First of all, you look at their conference records since A&M joined. Auburn... Or since I think in the last five years, you look at their conference record. Auburn is one game higher than A&M. I think they're 21 or 22-18. A&M is like 21-19 or something like that. They're one game better. So there's that, if you're talking about pecking order in the SEC. And there are certainly those two. We talk about LSU and Bama. And then we talk about, "Oh, you got to beat the Mississippi schools." Well, they've been doing that and they're undefeated against Arkansas and South Carolina. And LSU and Alabama, yes, those are who you got to catch, but Auburn is who you're jockeying with.

And Gus has been close to being fired multiple times, and you let him come in to Kyle and beat the brakes off of you, when there was no business that Auburn team should not have beaten A&M in 2015. They hammered you with Johnson at quarterback who was terrible, couldn't complete a downfield pass. And then in '17, someone's last year, Auburn was on the ropes again. They came in and stood them, caught fire, and they ran you out at Kyle field. And then there was the game at Auburn, Jimbo's first year, where you had it completely in hand, and you let it slip away. That would have put Gus on the hot seat.

So many times you talk about the swing game that the horse collar, no call was, with Johnny in 2013.

Gabe: Oh, man.

Billy: And what does that mean, if A&M wins that game? At the very least, it means they go into Baton Rouge in the next last week of the season as a legitimate national title contender. And Johnny is probably right there with Jameis for a repeat Heisman and college football immortality. So that Auburn game, and it swung things the right way for A&M two or three times. That Auburn game is to me, it's the most important. But here's the biggest reason why, Gabe. You have a chance to be six, seven and 0. I think that. Is the Auburn game seven?

Gabe: Yeah. 12th or 8th.

Billy: I think it's game seven.

Gabe: Okay. Oh, you're talking about week seven.

Billy: Yeah.

Gabe: Yes.

Billy: Game seven, whatever.

Gabe: Yes.

Billy: Yeah.

Gabe: I thought you were talking about how many years we've played them. I'm sorry.

Billy: No, they played them eight. This will be nine.

Gabe: This will be nine.

Billy: I think it was game seven of the season and then would have a real shot to be 6-0 going up there. They'll be favored to be that. We're talking about if they're conference games. But if you go in there and you knock them off in Jordan-Hare, and that's when A&M becomes a legitimate national title, a legitimate SEC. Probably a legitimate SEC title, a legitimate playoff contender. And then you go and you're going to be favored in every other game you play going into Tuscaloosa. Here's why that Auburn game matters the most to me. If you go into Bama and if you're undefeated going into eight days left in the regular season, the recruiting battle is won at that point, regardless of what happens in the last two games. Because you're entering the final eight days of the regular season as a legit bonafide playoff contender.

Even if you lose to Bama, you're coming into Kyle Field against LSU with still a look at it. If you could beat the Tigers and then you sit back championship weekend aside, it makes that LSU game incredibly important. It makes that Bama game one of the biggest games in the SEC that season. So the whole country is watching that one. So yeah, I think it probably punches your ticket into a New Year Six bowl game, which A&M has. I still say they did it in 2012, because before this whole New Year Six thing, and they obviously would have been in one and the Cotton Bowl was one. Your opponent would have been in there.

Gabe: ‘13 is Peach.

Billy: Well, the Peach, yeah. But I don't know if they had gotten in there at that... They wouldn't have gotten there that year, Gabe, at 8-4. See to me, that one wasn't in the-

Gabe: I gotcha. I gotcha.

Billy: Cotton Bowl was. But anyway, my point is, it probably means a New Year's six bowl. I think Auburn is not only important... My dog is just battling a plastic water bottle right now.

Gabe: I was wondering if the cleaning people where there.

Billy: He's just going crazy. But yeah. So I think Auburn not only is significant as a standalone because of what it means for the pecking order in the West, but I also think it's a table setter for everything else that lies behind it.

Gabe: Tell you what, Looch. 40 good minutes of football right there, my friend. That felt good. That felt good.

Billy: Yeah. And it's going to be interesting that schedule is going to... I don't think it's going to stay as is, maybe they only get eight games in. Maybe they only get... Maybe they play nine or 10 conference games. Maybe they do get a couple of non-conference in. I just... Everything's so much in the air. And I think doing the exercise that we just did, let's just do that for a little bit. Let's just talk about the season as if it's going to play out.

Gabe: Absolutely.

Billy: Nobody knows what's going to happen with the college football season. And I just think with the players reporting on Monday, in terms of getting back to those full-scale workouts. Like you do what Jimbo's doing, and you're just preparing for the season, what he and the coaches and players are going to do, and they start getting ready. And if they get to play, I think A&M is really positioned to have that breakout season. It's just so fascinating is that we're sitting here a week after the 4th of July, and you don't know who A&M's... You don't know. You don't know who they're playing. You don't know if anyone's going to be in the stands to watch it.

Gabe: Different world.

Billy: You don't know when it's going to start. It's crazy. It really is crazy. But if they do play, I think this is going to be a really good football team. And you hope that they can focus up, dial it in, and play with that level of intensity. Because on the one hand, you go, "Man, you'd hate to see A&M slip up," and just maybe not take it as seriously as some of these other teams, if there's no fans. Like what if Mississippi State or Ole Miss or Colorado, whoever, are just more dialed in and because with no fans and it feels like a practice, it feels like you're scrimmaging and who's going to take it more seriously?

That's a big thing. You've lost the home field advantage in a lot of these instances. But by the same token, who's to say that Jimbo Fisher won't have his team more ready. Maybe it's Auburn that slips down a level. Maybe it is Mississippi State under a new coach, or Arkansas or South Carolina or Ole Miss. And these teams under these first year coaches, maybe their level is not quite up enough, because they just had coaches fired. So their culture waned a little bit, and it's not where it should be. This could actually play to A&M's advantage. We don't know that.

And so maybe there's an opportunity here for A&M to do even more than what we're expecting. And that's something that I don't think we, as the people covering it or the fan base, have really looked at as a possibility. But that's certainly there because while A&M isn't in that upper echelon yet, they return enough where they're being mentioned in the conversation. You look at the title odds. You look at the SEC and national title odds. You look at some of the predictions. You look at the preseason rankings.

If you're in that top 10, 12, this might be the year that a team like that you do look up after a crazy Saturday and say, "Man, they were just so much more ready to play." That group of seniors and that head coach in that scrimmage type atmosphere, and they came out and they just flat out outplayed Auburn. They came out and they shocked Bama. Who knows, man? So as much as the concern is that it could go one way, the excitement that it could go another way, I think it's time people start paying attention to that possibility as well.

Gabe: Outstanding. That's fascinating stuff. All right. Thanks, Looch.

Billy: All right, Buddy, Good stuff.

Gabe: That is a special feature featuring what? Football talk on TexAgs.com. Enjoy that. The players report on Monday

 

Anything noteworthy?

[HtownHorn 14491]

1 hour ago, Fud said:

Anything noteworthy?

It appears their entire shitty roster is going to be All conference type players.

[Fud 9546]

6 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

It appears their entire shitty roster is going to be All conference type players.

Ha just skimmed it, and you're right. If someone is bored enough, he should check off to see how much of the roster was individually called out in a positive manner in there 

On another note, I'm wondering if the NCAA will actually enforce their scholarship cap rule if there's no football

[golfclap 6903]

HUGE announcement. 
world:

 

Aggy and Sooners have both considered him a lock for their class. Looks like it might be neither. 

[Beau Vine 54008]

11 hours ago, Fud said:

Anything noteworthy?

Put on your sunglasses to read, because he pumps more sunshine than you'd think possible.  Also, could have won the national championship in 2013 if not for a bad call.

[Stinkpalm 678]

3 hours ago, golfclap said:

HUGE announcement. 
world:

 

Aggy and Sooners have both considered him a lock for their class. Looks like it might be neither. 

Come on... he’s put it right there in his name!  ^3=cubed... obviously all about that aggy cube life

[Sejjr 3246]

23 hours ago, texifornia said:

This dude is getting real weirdly deep into Kellen Mond's racial history in his letter to Sharp

  Hide contents

 

This shit right here is why you don't want to use "23 and Me".

[cafe society 2842]

15 hours ago, Fud said:

Anything noteworthy?

Billy Liucci is Terry Bradshaw's dumber brother.  

[GlenFromTheMailRoom 1601]

35 minutes ago, cafe society said:

Billy Liucci is Terry Bradshaw's dumber, fatter, pedantic, shill, hypocritical, unrealistic, mildly-retarded, and poorly informed  brother.  

FIFY

Edited July 12, 2020 by GlenFromTheMailRoom

[texifornia 56549]

"MAROON LIVES MATTER"

 

[UDontKnow 10439]

28 minutes ago, texifornia said:

"MAROON LIVES MATTER"

 

It can not be emphasized how much of an ass banjo Brent Zwerneman is. He never got the criticism he deserved for airing out the unproven Charlie Strong infidelity rumors on ESPN. 

[Hank Scorpio 17723]

I will pay $5,000 for the Soldier Statesman Knightly Gentleman sign the old guy is holding. 

[Burntcowboy 1845]

BLM guy standing on Sully

 

[texifornia 56549]

1 minute ago, Burntcowboy said:

BLM guy standing on Sully

 

Yeah this is badass as shit tbh

 

[Neonmoon 38127]

Maroon Lives Matter is hilariously ignorant. Wow

[lemonandaturd 4285]

Old Sul was a soldier, statesman and (Hooded) Knight Rider.

[UDontKnow 10439]

Me when I think how this ongoing nonsense will affect aggy recruiting.

[Elmer_Fudd 22109]

Donovan McMillon Fong'd to Florida.  Who's up next on the Safety list?