This week, 10 questions about the 2023 Texas A&M football team that still need answering...
1. Is Conner Weigman ready to be a top flight SEC quarterback?
Weigman took over for much of the second half of last season and threw 8 touchdowns, no interceptions and showed he can make plays with his legs. But A&M also struggled to score in a couple of those outings.
Why he is: Because he's got tremendous talent, two very good quarterback coaches in Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino and, oh yeah, 8 touchdowns, 0 INTs in a bad offense.
Why he isn't: He's still a sophomore with just four starts under his belt. Ok, there's not much of an argument here otherwise, except maybe that Max Johnson (he of multiple years of starting experience in the SEC) looked just about as good this spring.
2. Can this offense really be explosive?
Fisher shocked many by hiring Petrino, a former head coach with great success and a reputation as being difficult to work with. He then took a clear step back and let Petrino run the offense all spring.
Why it will be: You have Weigman and a group of four starting receivers that are as good as any in the nation -- Evan Stewart, Ainias Smith, Moose Muhammad and Noah Thomas. You have two really good pass receiving tight ends in Donovan Green and Jake Johnson. They have at least three capable backs. And Petrino is running the show by himself, with clear changes in spring ball.
Why it won't be: Weigman may not make the expected step, the offensive line may not be that good and Fisher may not be able to stop himself from getting involved. The last part, bluntly, I think is the least likely. He knows the stakes.
3. Will the offensive line be much improved?
The offensive line was terrible last year and went through several versions before coming together for the season finale and pushing LSU around. The line, and Steve Addazio, won't have that much time to gel this year.
Why they will be: They return all five starters -- Trey Zuhn, Kam Dewberry, Bryce Foster, Layden Robinson and Deuce Fatheree --- but Chase Bisontis may upset the apple cart and take a starting job. Add in Jordan Moko, Aki Ogunbiyi and Mark Nabou and the Aggies have very good reserves on the inside.
Why they won't: Injuries at offensive tackle could be a real problem. If they're healthy, there is no reason, which puts a lot of pressure on Addazio.
4. Are A&M's receivers THAT good?
At the end of last year, A&M's receiver room was a full-fledged mess. After some...ahem...spring cleaning, A&M comes back with a starting four of Stewart, Smith, Muhammad and Thomas, and a backup group of freshmen Raymond Cottrell and Micah Tease, redshirt senior Jalen Preston and transfers Jordan Anthony and Jahdae Walker.
Why they are: Everyone of the first three guys mentioned have produced at the SEC level, and Thomas had the best spring of any of them. Cottrell and Tease were both good this spring. Walker was a D-II deep threat, and Anthony may be the fastest player in college football.
Why they aren't: The scheme doesn't work, the offensive line struggles or the Big 4 get hurt.
5. Can A&M stop the run this year?
Nobody could throw on A&M last year. Jaylon Jones and Tyreek Chappell saw to that. But opponents didn't have to, because the Aggies were absolutely awful against the run.
Why they will: Having a rotation of McKinnley Jackson, Walter Nolen, Gabe Dindy and DJ Hicks in the middle -- and that doesn't even mention veterans Isaiah Raikes and Albert Regis -- should make it hell to run up the middle. Big ends like Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart, Fadil Diggs and LT Overton are a year older and stronger.
Why they won't: They play around with the 3-man front too much, the linebackers play poorly again or we just absolutely overrated what was the best defensive haul of all time in 2022. The odds of the last aren't real high.
6. Can the Aggies get after the quarterback?
This was another big issue. Diggs was the leading sack man for the Aggies with 3, and he missed half the year. The pass rush was atrocious, which led to teams being able to complete passes when they absolutely had to. And that cost ballgames.
Why they will: Maturity. Diggs, Stewart, Turner and Overton should be able to get greater pressure this year. Nolen could be the most explosive DT in the conference, which helps. They've got faster linebackers who can blitz. They have two dedicated pass rushers in Enai White and Malick Sylla, whose jobs are to get to the quarterback. Period.
Why they won't: The scheme continues to fail.
7. Are the linebackers better?
2022 was a horrible season for A&M's linebackers. None of them played well, missing a lot of tackles and blowing gap assignments with alarming regularity. Andre White, Tarian Lee and Ish Harris are all gone. But they do have Edgerrin Cooper, Chris Russell and Martrell Harris returning, along with transfer Jurriente Davis and newcomers Taurean York and Daymion Sanford.
Why they are: From a distance, it sure seems like LB coach Tyler Santucci didn't do a good job last year. Maybe he just didn't mesh with new DC D.J. Durkin. Davis and a more mature Martrell Harris should mean a boost in overall talent. York and Sanford both looked good this spring, even if they're still true freshmen. Maybe most importantly, Durkin himself is now coaching the group, so there's no excuses about them not knowing what he wants them to do.
Why they aren't: The scheme fails or the talent still isn't there. They remain pretty thin.
8. Do the Aggies have what they need at corner?
Talk about a near-clean sweep. Jaylon Jones, Myles Jones, Brian George, Smoke Bouie, Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Josh Moten are all gone. A lot of big problems in the locker room went out the door with them (but not all are guilty), leaving A&M in dire need of a rebuild.
Enter Tony Grimes, Sam McCall, Josh DeBerry, Jayvon Thomas and Bravion Rogers to go with Tyreek Chappell, Deuce Harmon and Bobby Taylor.
Why they do: Chappell is one of the best in the conference. Grimes is a multi-year starter. FSU was really big on McCall before he left. DeBerry was All-ACC. Thomas and Rogers have huge upsides. Harmon isn't far removed from 4-star status, nor is Taylor.
Why they don't: See the train wreck that was 2022, extreme case though it was.
9. Are the Aggies set at nickel?
Antonio Johnson was a two-time All-SEC selection and is in the NFL now. The Aggies have big shoes to fill. Enough said.
Why they are: Bryce Anderson was nothing short of awesome this spring. He was co-defensive MVP and looked like he had been playing the position his whole life, not 18 months.
Why they aren't: If Anderson gets hurt, who replaces him? DeBerry played the role at Boston College, and Jarred Kerr got time there last year. Still, it seems like it would be quite the falloff from what we saw of Anderson this spring.
10. Will the large number of transfers hurt?
Yeah, yeah, you know. Twenty-six transfers out or whatever. End of the world. Blah blah blah.
Why they will: Because you lost some quality talent. It wouldn't hurt to have an Andre White or Anthony Lucas, or a PJ Williams (with his head screwed on right) on this team. Even keeping Haynes King around would have helped the quarterback room.
Why they won't: Because they got rid of a massive bunch of knuckleheads and guys who were doing absolutely zilch. Considering two players who "left" have already been booted from their second team, you get the idea. With the combination of transfers in -- a group that ended up being darned good -- and members of the 2023 recruiting class, A&M has filled those gaps and then some.
