Q: Bigger operational mess.

Kevin Sumlin in 2015? ERCOT in 2021? (FletchW)

A: A tricky question, to be sure. There is greater institutional incompetence with ERCOT, in my opinion, but when it comes to one individual doing damage to a whole organization? Then Sumlin wins easily.

Q: What is your confidence level the following commit to the Aggies?

Bobby Taylor

Bryce Anderson

Kam Dewberry

Kelvin Banks (Have Gun Will Travel)

A: Taylor -- very high. I am a little concerned about Michigan and Texas making a push (Michigan, moreso, because of his relationship with Maurice Linguist), but I think he's coming A&M's way next week.

Anderson -- not very high. A&M doesn't seem to be pushing for him at all, while Texas is going all out.

Dewberry -- Tough to gauge him. A&M is certainly up there on his list of leaders, so there's plenty of reason for optimism; he just hasn't shown his cards lately.

Banks -- High.

Q: Do you have the skinny on how they are selecting the 12th Man rep now? Braden White seems popular with the team, but honestly I can't recall seeing him near a tackle this last year. (84Aggiect)

A: It's the same way, the walk-on (or one-time walk-on) who best represents the student body. A&M got flattered with a run of 12th Men who were playmakers, but White is only needed on special teams at this point.

Q: Who is the next 2023 commit? (El Capullo)

A: Ask me in the fall. The only one who might commit anywhere before then is RB Reuben Owens.

Q: Could I add the linebacker Perkins to this (confidence) list ? (Chase88)

A: Yes, and the answer is high.

Q: We know how many Aggie seniors decided to return and use their extra year of eligibility. How do our numbers of returning seniors compare to our SEC competition? (AgLaw02)

A: It's about on par with most programs. Arkansas had by far the most, then probably Ole Miss. But the way to look at is, which guys could really benefit from an extra year in terms of helping their NFL Draft status? With the exception of maybe one player (Ryan McCollum, and he's already been in college five years), all the A&M guys who could have seen a boost stayed. And I think that was the case at most schools.

Q: What are your thoughts on Fangraphs MLB odds for each team making the post season? Is the 0.0% chance that Baltimore makes the playoffs optimistic? (Aggies911)

A: I think those things are purely designed for an emotional response, either "That's what I was thinking! I knew it!" or "What the hell? Screw these guys!" Therefore, I put no stock in them at all. And 0.0% is stupid. There's always a chance. Anyone who knows anything about the 1991 World Series knows the impossible can happen in baseball.

Q: Could list the rankings of each position group for each of Jimbo's full recruiting classes? (jaydub2)

A: No, because I don't think such a thing exists. You have a few guys who are able to give their opinion on the position groups, but that only goes to the top five.

Q: What grade would you give the receivers and why. B- C+? (Army Tanker)

A: When I graded the unit back in mid-January, I gave them a flat C. Here's the major comment: "If there was a disappointment on the 2020 team, the wideouts had to be it. With a combination of veterans and young talent, there were high expectations for this group, and virtually none of those expectations were met. Injuries, poor play and slow development had the Aggies down to essentially three wideouts by season's end, even though Demond Demas had started to make his way onto the field."

Q: Have all the Texas kids who are committed to or considering Ohio State taken notice of the weather this week? (TAMU-83)

A: Sure, but I doubt it has had one iota of success in changing opinions.

Q: Is Chris Morris going to be playing football for the Ags in the future? (The Stein)

A: That is to be determined. Haven't gotten an answer one way or the other.

Q: Will the Ags continue to pursue Cade Klubnik? Where do you think he ends up? (74Aggie)

A: I think they will continue to pursue him for at least the next few weeks, but if they get a commit from another quarterback, that's the end of that. If he wants to be the only quarterback in a class, he's already seeing his options diminish. I have no idea where he'll end up at this point. Florida is one possibility.

Q: How many LBs do you think A&M will take this year? Does A&M still have a chance with the DT who committed to Georgia? (ag20)

A: Let's take a look at what the situation will be going into the 2022 season. Aaron Hansford will be gone. Andre White while be in his fourth season. Chris Russell will be as well. Antonio Doyle and Edgerrin Cooper will be in their third year on campus. Ke'Shun Brown and Tarian Lee will have redshirted (really, redshirted twice) and will be in their fourth years. That means you're getting close to a complete wipe of your group, so they'd better take three.

Q: with the ratings results available, any behind the scene talk about expanding the playoffs for this upcoming season?

A: Nope.

is Josh Rogers (DL) still with the team ?

A: While he was on the roster, he never suited up and never played, so I'll take that as a no.

who has the easiest path, on paper, to the playoffs this season? (Mrdoctore86)

A: Oh, Clemson, for sure. Notre Dame is gone and all that really stands in the way is North Carolina...and guess who they don't play this year? They have one tough game: the season opener against Georgia. Here's their schedule:

Georgia (in Charlotte, N.C., so basically a home game)

South Carolina State

Georgia Tech

@NC State

Boston College

@Syracuse

@Pitt

FSU

@Louisville

UCONN

Wake Forest

@South Carolina

Seriously? UCONN is going to be one of the worst teams in the nation. South Carolina will be one of the worst teams in the SEC. They dodge UNC and Virginia Tech. This schedule is an absolute joke...after the opener.

Q: What impact does the dead period extension have on recruiting? Do we push for commitments early? Does this help traditional national powers like Alabama, OSU, Clemson? (joefried)

A: The extended dead period does one thing: screws recruits. That's all it does. Since the dead period will likely end in late May, I think you'll see teams push for early recruits but may not get them because there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But if anyone does benefit, it will be the teams that ended up at the top of the heap last year -- Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson...and Texas A&M.

Q: After we win the natty this year, how many more do you expect over the next five years? (hogtide)

A: Well, all of them, of course.