As we enter the dog days of summer, AY takes a look at each position group and asks five important questions. We continue the series with the linebackers.
1. Are the starters set?
Yes, they are. If they're both healthy, there's little doubt Taurean York and Scooby Williams will be the starters against UTSA on Aug. 30. York is rated as one of the best linebackers in all of college football and Williams had really good season in 2024, racking up 43 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery in just 11 games.
2. Is Taurean York really THAT good?
Numbers don't lie, and the numbers York has put up are strong. He has 156 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in two seasons. ProFootballFocus has him ranked as the 23rd-best draft eligible player for this upcoming season, and he's largely considered one of the top five inside linebackers in the nation. Averaging 78 tackles a season is pretty stout. He's a guy Mike Elko can put out there and be confident he'll do the right thing.
3. Who are the primary backups?
Daymion Sanford will be the first guy off the bench. He had 33 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack as a reserve last year, and he should see as much, if not more, action this year. Sophomore Jordan Lockhart had an excellent spring and is probably the next man up after Sanford. Tristan Jernigan should also get more snaps this season.
4. Could there be a player we're not expecting who could contribute?
There are only two scholarship linebackers left to discuss, so by process of elimination, this has to be one of them if the answer is yes. And the answer is yes.
True freshman Noah Mikhail checked in at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds this spring and looked very impressive when we got a chance to see him. He was solid in the spring game, tallying five tackles for the White team. He sure looks the part already and could factor in to the linebacker equation sooner as opposed to later.
5. How good can this linebacker group be?
York is one of the nation's best and Williams really came into his own last season, but he probably still could make another jump forward. Sanford proved he's ready to play at this level and Lockhart was being called "Little Ray Lewis" by his teammates this spring. Add in Jernigan, Mikhail and Kelvion Riggins and this group is probably one of the best in the SEC. It may be the best group of linebackers A&M has had since the turn of the century.
