Sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2023.

In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $375 million and has leased more than 4.5 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.

An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock, TX and can be reached at brent@donquick.com.

1. We obviously have a long time to go until next year’s NFL Draft, but some talking heads didn’t even wait for the TV lights to cool before starting to talk about 2026. One of the names that is being mentioned frequently as a first round possibility is guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams, who is getting run as possibly the best interior lineman in the draft for next year. While getting a first round pick is always good for PR and recruiting, it would be a whole lot bigger in this case because when the tide is high, all boats float. Reed-Adams staying as a first round possibility almost certainly means the Aggie offensive line will have taken a big step as a whole.

2. One player I think has a great chance to break out and help his draft stock in a big way is safety Dalton Brooks. Brooks really started to hit his stride at about midseason last year and was excellent after that. He was second on the team with 59 tackles, had 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. His biggest problem was missed tackles (join the club), but another year of acclimation could help reduce those numbers.

At 6 foot and 200 pounds, he’s got the right size for an NFL safety and, now that he really looks like he’s comfortable in the defensive backfield, I could see him being used a lot more aggressively this season.

3. Another Aggie offensive lineman who isn’t getting enough attention is right tackle Demetrious Crownover. Now, I’ve been a big Deuce Fatheree fan since he was a senior in high school, but Crownover earned first team reps with his play last year. After the Arkansas game, his play started to hit another gear. He didn’t give up a sack all season and only allowed 10 pressures. He’s not a finished product and needs to be a more assertive run blocker, but if he does that, he’s going to shoot up draft boards.

4. With somewhat of an undefined role (or JACK, you prefer), Cashius Howell put up strong numbers last year. He had 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. He only got one start, in the Las Vegas Bowl, and he had 5 tackles, a sack and his interception. This year, there’s no question about Howell’s role: he’s a starting defensive end. If he picks up where he left off at 255 pounds (he was at 245 last year), he could also make himself a solid second day pick, if not earlier.

5. One player who hasn’t gotten much attention and should is center Mark Nabou. After he went down early against Notre Dame, there was a scramble on the line for the rest of the season. Koli Faaiu got most of the playing time, but gave up 12 hurries, 15 pressures, 2 hits and a sack. For a four game stretch starting with Missouri, he was really bad after having been really good the couple of games before. Then he was good again — at least in pass blocking. He was pretty meh as a run blocker all season. Getting Nabou back can bring some stability and, hopefully improved performance as he either takes the job or Faaiu improves markedly.

6. It may not be realized by many at this point, but Bucky McMillan already has signed two players taller than anyone on the A&M squad last season. Both Jamie Vinson and Zach Clemence are both 6-foot-11, so they have some height. But what they still lack is bulk. That may not be much of a factor on the offensive end, but they’re going to need someone to handle the big bodies that Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and so forth are going to be able to throw at them. I don’t know where McMillan can find a 7-footer who weighs about 250 or 260 pounds, but it sure would be nice.

7. The Aggies may get taller still, because former Texas Tech F Federiko Federiko is on campus tonight for an official visit and is at the baseball game. Federiko is also 6-foot-11, but like Vinson and Clemence, is thin at just 215 pounds. Of the three, Clemence weighs the most at 230 pounds.

8. Remember, McMillan wants three things: he wants guys who can shoot the 3 or can get to the line AND defend. It actually sounds a lot like what the last regime wanted, except they never had more than two shooters on a team. Bucky has picked up guys who can defend, and most can do at least one (shoot the 3) or the other (get the basket and get fouled). Point guard Jacari Lane can do both; he shot 40% from 3 (he shot 153 of them) and better than 42% from the field. Talented big man Mackenzie Mgbako can shoot respectably from distance, but he’s more of a inside guy. Marcus Hill is a slasher who wants to get to the basket (think Zhuric Phelps, but fewer misguided 3 attempts); at Bowling Green two years ago, he went to the line 219 times (and made 74% of his free throws). Duke Miles is an outside shooter who hit more than 40% of his 3’s last year for OU, while Josh Holloway attacks the basket. Freshman Jeremiah Green seems to be more of a slasher as well, while forward Chris McDermott does all his work near the basket.

9. If I had to guess on a starting lineup right now for A&M (and this is almost certainly not how it will end up), I’ll go with this:

F: Clemence

F: Mgbako

G: Miles

G: Hill

G: Lane

That’s definitely a lineup that can score, and likely defend well. But I’m still worried about big men taking advantage in the post.

10. Has there been a more undervalued transfer anywhere in college baseball than Ben Royo? The A&M second baseman has solidified the position after Wyatt Henseler moved back to third when Gavin Grahovac went out, and he’s doing more than playing defense. He’s now hitting over .300 (.303 at the moment), has eight homers (two tonight, including a grand slam) and has increased his RBI total from 11 to 18 in three plate appearances against Lamar. He was one of the only Aggies who hit against Texas, and if his bat stays hot, it could be an unexpected difference maker from here on out.