Q: How would we have fared against OSU, ND & Clemson if we had played them in your opinion?

A: I think A&M beats Notre Dame. Clemson would be interesting because of their deep passing game, but they were very unimpressive against Ohio State. And as for Ohio State, it really depends on which Justin Fields shows up.

What would your final season rankings look like (top 8 is good)?

Alabama, Ohio State, A&M, Clemson, Notre Dame, OU, Georgia, Cincinnati

Top 3 hardest players to replace next year we are losing?

Buddy Johnson, Dan Moore, Kellen Mond

Biggest question marks, by position, for us next year? (92REDASS)

A: The whole offensive line and quarterback. That’s really the only questions there are.

Q: Who our are priorities at QB in '22? And our we looking to take 2?

A: They are going to take two. Tevin Carter is one and MJ Morris is another that they’re looking at, but I think they’re probably still evaluating the position. There may be more offers soon. They really don’t have that many out.

First '22 commit? (Tschaar)

A: Taking a fairly educated guess, CB Bobby Taylor of Katy. And that may open the floodgates.

Q: Where are you hearing that our guys who aren't coming back might get drafted?

A: Still kind of getting info on that. I think that they could start seeing guys coming off the board in the third round at this point, but the combine could help guys like Bobby Brown and Buddy Johnson.

Is there any chance that any players who opted out will be back next year? And at this point are Elijah Blades and Ke'Shun Brown expected to return at this point? (Phastman)

A: They’re both expected back. The rest? Nah.

Q: You and your team often post about recruits on the rise or new offers.

Are there any kickers that we should be aware of? I know it’s not a glamorous position during the recruiting season but they can win and lose a lot of games for a team. (Shacky84)

A: Don’t think it’s an issue for the next couple of years. Seth Small is still around for another year at least, and Caden Davis is a year behind him. They’re set.

Q: Why do we not have the best receiving tight end recruits beating Jimbo's door down?

A: They’re not? Donovan Green out of Dickinson may be the nation’s best in 2022, and A&M likely leads for him.

Can give us 3 underrated commits for ’21?

A: Deuce Harmon, Kendal Daniels and Yulkeith Brown

Tell me who is the first DT off the bench to relieve Peevy and Mac? (Prater1978)

A: That’s to be determined, but Derick Hunter, Adarious Jones and Isaiah Raikes are all in that competition.

Q: Each year we have a surprise player who wasn’t highly regarded by pundits, etc who show up to campus and ball out - see 3* Ainias, Chase Lane and DT, Adarious, etc.

Who do you think that will be in the 2021 class? Thanks! (DXB19)

A: Offensive lineman Matthew Wykoff.

Q: Mark you mentioned that the Auburn people recognized they were falling behind ATM and that was one of the reasons they got rid of Malzahn. Do the Auburn people think they upgraded with their new coach? Was he their first choice or did this wind up being a lateral hire for Auburn? (Bodiddy)

A: Bryan Harsin is an interesting case. He’s succeeded as a head coach, but his SEC experience is limited. I think he’s a good coach and probably better than Malzahn, but it’s not a hire that really brings a lot of excitement. To boot, I don’t think he was their first choice. As a coach, it’s probably a slight step up, but does it move the needle in recruiting? Probably not.

Q: When and if we can expect spring practice. (86Aggie)

A: Yes, you can expect spring practice. When is unknown at this point. Jimbo may give us an idea when we talk to him on signing day. That’s usually how it goes.

Q: I am thankful for a #4 final ranking, but am I over-reacting by being ticked about not being #2? Did we not deserve #2 and the CFP? Is there a bias against us? (AgsRule97!)

A: I don’t know about overreacting, but it’s time to move on. It’s done. They finished fourth and that’s a great year. They were never going to be second, even if they deserved it. A bias against A&M may be paranoid, but there is certainly a bias for certain other programs, and A&M was right in the mix with them. That’s why they were in the CFP and A&M wasn’t.

Q: Can you compare and contrast our 21 QB prospects in relations to Mond? Say the categories are: Arm Strength, Accuracy Decision Making, Speed of Decision Making, Scrambling ability and leadership? (Darrelljones1212)

A: Do you mean 22 prospects? At this point, no, because it’s not entirely clear who their top targets are.

Q: Any expected changes to our coaching staff? Is everybody returning?

A: As of right now, everyone is expected back. We’ll see if anyone comes around and tries to raid them.

Who else on our OL played significant time in 2020? It seems we were very lucky and did not have injuries on this unit

A: Layden Robinson is the only other guy who had any significant playing time. And he was really, really good when he was out there.

saw that you just posted a futurecast on Donovan Green for the good guys, when do you expect that we r going to start with the 2022 class?

A: Soon.

Q: I think early enrollment is this week-how is that going to work with the kids that are still playing in the playoffs-in highschool? or do I have the dates wrong? (Bigty)

A: I don’t think they have to worry about it because their seasons are all done.

Q: Why couldn't they utilize Demas at all this past year? Even a short hitch pass, and let his athleticism take over, was worth a shot. Seems like a lost year of production from a superior athlete. (Dustytx)

A: If they thought he was ready, he would have been out there. It really is just that simple. If that’s an answer you don’t like, go look at JaQuay Williams (or Savage). He was supposed to be a superior athlete, got on the field and made a one-handed catch against Sam in 2013. Sumlin thought that was enough and put him out there against Alabama. He ran the wrong route in the end zone, Johnny got picked off and Alabama went down and scored. It was literally the difference in the game. All he could figure out was a go route. It’s not worth it if they’re not able to figure out the playbook. To his credit, Demas seems to have been catching on by season’s end, because he started to appear. I totally get the desire to see a great athlete on the field, but this isn’t a no-risk scenario and these guys aren’t toys you just get to play with.

Q: What are your current uncommitted FutureCasts? (Have Gun Will Travel)

A: LJ Johnson and Brian Thomas from the 2021 class, Donovan Green and Bobby Taylor from the 2022 class.

Q: What are the latest dates for spring enrollees for incoming freshmen and incoming transfers? Who are we actively recruiting that can potentially enroll this spring? (SGMan)

A: Classes start next week, so they’re running out of time. The only one who might is LJ Johnson and he seems to be pushing his decision off to beyond this semester.

Q: It took this offensive line at least a season to gel, as a matter of fact we expected them to be a bit of a liability this season and they surprised us all. Do they get it together earlier this time as new members join the starting 5? (BIMSAg02)

A: They have a few advantages here over the 2020 team. First, they’ll all be in a second year (at least) with Josh Henson. For several, a third year. Kenyon Green has started 23 games in a row. Aki Ogunbiyi, Layden Robinson and Blake Trainor have all worked together extensively with the second team. Smart Chibuzo was there all year with them. Luke Matthews will be in his fourth year on campus. Those are plusses. Will they be as good as this year’s line? Probably not, but I don’t think they’ll be bad either.

Q: Thought I read that Chris Morris was a possible disciplinary casualty & that Donnell Harris was homesick. Maybe I missed them, but have we received any updates regarding their status or expectations going forward? (Bo2001)

A: Nope, not yet.

Q: So it took JFF and Kingsbury calling plays to beat Bama, can we beat them with a good but not great QB and Fisher calling his plays?

A: It’s not that simple. What’s around them? Johnny didn’t win that game all alone, even though people think so. The Aggies forced three turnovers in that game and Ryan Swope played out of his mind. If A&M’s defense is as good as we think it’ll be, the running game works and the wideouts develop, yes, A&M can beat them.

After watching Bama's OC (The Chart) calling plays can Fisher be as "creative" in calling/designing rub routes, picks, or RPO’s?

A: This isn’t a matter of creativity. It’s a matter of playing to your strengths. A&M ran a good bit of RPO, and people didn’t realize it. It’s simple; if you have so many guys up in the box, you throw. If they’re back, you run. But as games went on, A&M established control of the line of scrimmage and things became simple. Beat the hell out of them. So they did.

What do you like and/or not like about A&M's offensive direction?

A: I like that it’s efficient. It’s different from other teams so that puts defenses at a disadvantage. When it’s working, it takes a lot of pressure off the defense. I would like to see more play action and deep passes, and some more drag routes. That’s about it.

Q: Wht were the differences in offensive play calling between 2019 and 2020? To my untrained eye 2019 seemed stale and predictable. Obviously the results this year were way better but I’m curious your perspective on what was different. Was Jimbo more creative and innovative or did we do the same stuff as 2019 but it just worked better? (Aggiewoo)

A: What was different in terms of play calling? Not much. But when you have an offensive line that controls the point of attack and a quarterback who can put the ball where it needs to be — not to mention a running back group that can embarrass you — things work a whole lot better.

Q: What's going on with our WRs? For years I felt like we were recruiting lights out in this area, but they did not have a strong year. Was our recruiting not as good as I thought or is it our scheme? Where are muhammad, wright, jackson, brown, preston? (pardon my ignorance if some of these guys are gone.)

(Aggdaddy)

A: Let’s take a look. The original starters were supposed to be Jhamon Ausbon, Cam Buckley and Caleb Chapman. Ausbon opted out. Buckley tore his ACL. Now you’re down two starters. Ainias moves back in and has a great year. Lane steps up and shows that he’s a very good route runner. They move in. Chapman blows out his knee. Demas isn’t ready yet. Muhammad? Same situation. So Preston and Brown are out there. Both disappoint and are benched. Brown transfers. Wright never gets the offense totally and transfers even though the coaches want him to stay. Preston gets back out on the field against Tennessee, catches a pass and drops another. Back to the sideline.

Short version: They lost two starters before the year began. Two replacements disappointed and left. Two freshmen were freshmen. One guy didn’t get to play so he left. Another got benched.

A&M runs a scheme that is more difficult than most in college football. It is very different from most high school schemes. It takes time to acclimate to. And they have very high standards. If you don’t block, or you run bad routes, you’re not going to play. Period.

Q: Why did Anias not break some punt returns since he does so well in space. (86Aggie)

A: Pretty simple answer to this one — if they don’t kick it to you or they hang it up there for a long time to stop you from returning, it’s hard to make a play. Big plays in the return game are becoming increasingly rare because punters now either have big legs, kick it really high or do the rugby kicks away from returners. That makes it very difficult, even for the best.

Q: We learned today that only 18.7 million people tuned into the championship game. How is that figure derived? As a kid, I remember getting the Neilson Survey, and we logged for a week what we watched and sent it in. Is it still determined through some sort of statistical sampling, or is the methodology more precise? (J87)

A: I don’t know. I’m just here so I don’t get fined.

Q: How soon do you think A&M will have its next Heisman Trophy winner? What position will the winner play, and do you think he is currently on the team? (AggieGuy)

A: I have no idea.

Q: Has Michael Clemons stated his intentions? I don’t recall seeing anything. Seems like he was having a good year and would really benefit from another year of quality play. (Aggiewoo)

A: He’s not expected back. It would be year six for him and it seems logical for him to make the move to the NFL.

Q: Do you see Ausbon getting drafted? (H273)

A: In the later rounds, yes. I thought him opting out was a really bad move and still do. He would have helped himself and the team by playing.

Q: Do you have anything thoughts on Bill O'brien to the tide? (An86ag)

A: Also, don’t let him anywhere near player personnel decisions. And if he yells at a player one time, I hope Saban tears him up one side and down the other. The guy may have a good football mind, but he needs his ego checked and he needs to seriously grow up.