10 Things for Tuesday, sponsored by Ekdahl Nelson Real Estate
1. Conner Weigman isn't playing baseball this year and that's the right move. He may not play baseball at all while at A&M if he wants to stay QB1. He should be, unquestionably, but you're implementing a new system with a new offensive coordinator. Every snap counts. And when he was healthy, Max Johnson wasn't exactly terrible in 2022.
2. The Kentucky loss shows A&M's need for more players who can make their own shot. The Aggies haven't missed Manny Obaseki since he got hurt --- until Saturday. With Boots Radford in foul trouble in the first half and Wade Taylor continuing a horrible shooting slump, the Aggies were really limited in what they could do offensively. It had to be Julius Marble, Henry Coleman or someone getting to the hoop. Radford did a lot of the latter in the second half, but A&M needs that dynamic scorer who can just go and get you points.
3. Tomorrow's game is a big one for Aggie hoops. Obviously, you don't want to lose two in a row in conference, but beating a top-20 that hasn't lost at home in 28 outings would make a very big statement. A&M can grind and I can't see them getting blown out with the level of defense they're playing, but the shooters have to be ready.
4. Attack of the Killer Smurfs: If A&M wants to, it's going to be able to go with a group of short, fast receivers next season. With Evan Stewart, Ainias Smith (probably), Tyrin Smith and Micah Tease, the Aggies have four receivers less than 6 feet tall. And all of them can get open and run. It doesn't matter if you beat an opponent over the head or chew off their ankles; the objective is to win.
5. So A&M has, give or take, about 9 scholarships left. I would spend the vast majority of them on defense. Linebacker, of course, would be first spot I'd look to upgrade and would try to bring in two guys there. The Ole Miss safety and corner duo of Tysheem Johnson and Davison Igbinosun would also be on my list. Former Alabama WR Tyler Harrell would be on the list. If you can find an offensive tackle, that would be good too. Then, after that, I'd be looking for the best players available -- especially linebackers.
6. Santucci is gone, so it's on you, D.J.: Before last year, Tyler Santucci had done a pretty solid job at A&M. His groups had been solid and he'd recruited multiple 4-star LBs. But this year, he lost out on a critical recruit, Anthony Hill, and his linebackers were..well, terrible. It seemed like he'd either gotten complacent or just didn't mesh with defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.
Santucci is now the DC at Duke, and A&M has an opening for a linebackers coach. As I mentioned in Monday Thoughts yesterday, I expect Durkin will fill that hole (and they'll hire a new safeties coach). There's some talent and experience there for him to work with (but he can't afford any injuries), so it's up to him to fix what was broken last year. Because it was really broken.
7. The A&M coaching staff is likely a week away from more changes. A&M needs a running backs coach and another defensive assistant. That much we know. But I still think that they will make more changes on the offensive side of the ball. James Coley seems to be the only guy who isn't at risk. I know some of you are wondering why it's taking so long, but it's pretty common practice for coaches to finish their recruiting class at one school -- and that school wants to get their players in -- before making a move. That way, they've fulfilled their obligation and only the newly-signed players get screwed.
8. Where should the Aggies concentrate in 2024 recruiting? I broke the roster down last night in Monday Thoughts, but here's a shorter version. There are critical areas of need at offensive tackle, linebacker and wideout (duh). But they could use two quarterbacks and a couple of running backs too. Areas where you would think they're strong, like defensive end and guard, are still areas where they need to invest because the roster will start to lean heavily to upperclassmen. I think this could be a class where they invest heavily on offense and linebacker, but then you run the risk of thinning out your depth on defense. This is one of the bajillion problems with the portal; you have to guess at what your needs will be 10 months down the road.
9. Junior Day 2 should have a very impressive list of players. 4-star CB Kobe Black has already said he's coming, and there should be a lot more 4- and 5-stars on campus this weekend. It's early, granted, but it seems like the sense of urgency we kept waiting for last year on the recruiting front is back.
10. Mixed emotions on the Hall of Fame vote. Scott Rolen, to me, is a Hall of Very Good kind of guy. Many of you know I put together all-time teams for every franchise and let them play against each other on a computer game; Rolen is on two of those teams (Philadelphia and St. Louis). He doesn't start on either. Philly is no shock, because he's not beating out Mike Schmidt. But he doesn't start in St. Louis, either. He's not better than Ken Boyer (who should be in the Hall of Fame).
I like Todd Helton. He was an absolute beast in his prime. But what's the Coors Field tax on a hitter? It didn't stop Larry Walker from getting in, but it seems to play against Helton.
I would have voted for Andruw Jones and Billy Wagner. Wagner may be the best left-handed reliever ever and is certainly one of the top closers of all time. Jones is one of the absolute best defensive players of the past 50 years, hit 50 homers once and hit 434 homers for his career. His lifetime average of .254 isn't that good, but if you're going to put guys like Bill Mazeroski in due to their glovework, shouldn't Jones be in too?