Q: How good is Harold Perkins and who would you compare him to? (Richard23)

A: He's Really good. He's the #35 player in the nation right now and, after watching his film, I think that's way too low. That's some of the most impressive stuff I've ever watched. This is the kind of player, especially at linebacker, that A&M hasn't been able to reel in for a long time. At other positions, sure. But not linebacker. Perkins reportedly ran a 4.44 40-yard-dash at 200 pounds, and I wouldn't doubt it after watching his film. He's a remarkable athlete. If he can put 20 pounds on, he's going to be a force at the next level.

Q: If we were to make a change with our baseball HC (please Ross Bjork, please) will it negatively impact our Qb commit? (Aggiewoo)

A: I don't think so. From what I can tell, Conner Weigman committed to play for Jimbo Fisher, not Rob Childress.

Q: What are your thoughts on Fisher vs. Sarkisian as a play caller?

A: I thought Sark did a great job at Alabama the last couple of years. Now let's see what he does when the talent is mortal. Fisher's offense isn't as snazzy, but has been effective everywhere he's been.

With all the Top tier schools recruiting Texas at such a high level what should we be concerned or excited about for A&M's future?

A: A&M finished 4th in the Rivals rankings for 2021 and is currently 5th in 2022. You tell me.

Is it more strategic to have great recruiters or great coaches on staff and why? (Big Smoothie)

A: The strategy is to have both. It doesn't matter if you recruit well if you can't develop talent, and there's a ceiling to how high most average talent can climb.

Q: Related to Big Smoothie's question. Do we have a far enough lead on sips and other ankle biters to take it to the next level; in other words, we will get ours (predominantly) no matter what they or tech, osu, baylor, kansas and others in that category do? (Richard23)

A: There is enough talent in Texas, and with both teams recruiting nationally, that A&M can get theirs and Texas can get theirs and both can succeed. That hasn't been the case until very recently. As for those other schools -- A&M doesn't need to worry about them. The competition is Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Georgia.

Q: Did you actually see the kind of jump that Patrick Williams had in the latest Top250 coming? It seems jump from him being a skinny kid that had room to grow and get better to being in the Top 20 OL's in the country is a pretty big leap. (Pyro97)

A: No, I didn't. I thought he was a 4-star and a Rivals 250 guy, though. He's big, he's long and he's got great athleticism. He's someone who definitely hasn't played his best football yet. He's a lot like Cedric Ogbuehi in that the athletic ability is unmistakable, he just needs to bulk up.

Q: As we get closer to nfl draft do you see a clearer landing spot for Mond ? (gatillero_76)

A: Not yet; a lot is going to depend on which quarterbacks get moved. That's not to say that Mond will come in and be a starter, it's more along the lines of who will have a need to fill the depth chart from the top down and who will have the draft picks. The clearer choices right now (Denver, New Orleans) may not be as clear in a month.

Q: Is Les going to be the scape goat or will Coach O end up taking a fall? (86Aggie)

A: I'm still betting they both get away unscathed.

Q: Looks like Texas is on the verge of locking up the top two safeties in Texas.

I presume the coaching staff wasn’t expecting this. What’s the plan now? Go all in on a Hail Mary for Biddle or failing that make Taylor or Brooks (should we land him) a safety. (agcatter123)

A: If there's one position I'm not worried about, it's safety. Adding Kendal Daniels and Jardin Gilbert in the last class gives you plenty of depth. They only have a handful of offers out at safety, a sign that they're not losing much sleep over it.

Q: Do we have the structure/program in place to win a NC in baseball or basketball ...or is our best hope to just be competitive? (fatrobby)

A: The structure does not exist yet in basketball. Hopefully it will be developed. In baseball, it hasn't been developed yet and they're losing games to start the season that they should not be losing. That does not inspire confidence.

Q: Mark, It seems that we have a good handle on the commits/targets at most positions except RB. Who are the RB targets that should be on our radar? Also would the staff pass on a RB in this class if they get an early commit from Owens for 2023? (Aggiecadet03)

A: I don't think they're getting that commit from Owens. He seems to be intent on going elsewhere for now, but I really can't get wound up about a 2023 prospect when we're just getting into 2022 recruiting. As for the 2022 backs... it's a good question. There hasn't been a lot of movement here and there's not many real serious offers out there. Here are two guys worth watching:

Q: Is this the most physically talented team across the board in the history of the program?

A: No, probably not. But that doesn't mean they can't be a national championship-caliber team.

Is the Wrecking Crew back, or are we seeing intimations of it? (Army Tanker)

A: They're getting there. A top 10 defense that was in the top 5 against the run? That's pretty Wrecking Crew-ish.

Q: When are the coaches really pursuing at S, RB, DT and SDE in ‘22? I see the offers but interested in the real focus. We got a really good picture fo LB, CB, WR, OL and QB plus done at TE.

A: RB and S are still kind of developing. At defensive tackle, they're in on a lot of guys. Here are some worth watching:

And, at defensive end, they've already got Malick Sylla. That's a good starting spot. We'll see if they get serious about anyone else.

Love our success in Houston, but who on our staff focuses on DFW? Why do we seem to lose out on more top recruits to ou, tu and others there?

A: The position coaches handle most of that work. So the guys who are killing it elsewhere just haven't got the momentum up there yet. But I wouldn't worry about that just yet. They're in on some guys up there that can change the perception.

WTF really happened to Bear Alexander? Can only think of one thing. It changed quickly and we had our stud recruiter on him and lead.

A: He liked Georgia (or something to do with Georgia). That's all I can say at the moment on it. But it's also February 2021, and he has 10 months, at least, to stick with his choice.

What are our real holes for this coming year and next from a position standpoint to reach that next performance level and a natty? Expand a bit on it.

A: In 2021, it's clear: you need good offensive line play and a QB to step and take control. Otherwise, they're fine. They need linebacker depth this year and next -- maybe they already have it and we don't know yet because we haven't seen it. They need a wideout -- just one, but more than one would be good -- to step up. Getting a dominant pass rusher would be nice. But they're really close.

So I saw on a post that Rob hasn’t got an extension. Do you think this is the year that we can him and bring in a really good baseball coach?

A: They're only five games in, so let's not get out over one's skis here. But the play to this point has been a massive disappointment.

Any very feedback on ‘21 early enrollees and how they are doing? They haven’t been there long but curious.

A: No, they just started doing conditioning work this week. Way too early.

Do you think the staff pushes for legacy Terrance Brooks? In addition to B. Taylor, do you think a real possibility of another three in J. Humphrey, T Brooks and D. Harris? I think Harris is bama or lsu but that’s because it’s North Shore.

A: I think they'd like to have him, for sure. I think you'll get your corners out of that group right there. Maybe not all three, though it's possible, but two of the three.

Who are our five “must get” ‘22 recruits not yet committed? (Haas89)

A: (looks for pot to bang)

Here we go, for the first time this year... "There. Is. No. Such. Thing. As. A 'Must Get'. Recruit!" Especially for a team that recruits at a national level. Now, are there guys you'd really love to have? Absolutely, and Perkins starts that list. After that, I'd like Denver Harris, a couple of linebackers and two of the following:

Q: First question ever.

I've only ever paid attention to Aggie recruits until the last couple of years. I understand that this world is floating on the whims of young and mostly immature men, but there's one thing that still dumbfounds me. How do schools that have become perpetual dumpster fires (tu and Tenn) keep getting some of these recruits? Do they not see that these schools are where potential football careers go to die? (RogueAggie)

A: It's all about relationships -- and, in the case of Tennessee, cash in McDonald's bags. But high-level programs can sell past history, quality facilities, players in the NFL, academic support and all that stuff. And, if a player likes his position coach, that's a huge difference maker.

Now, winning in a big way recently? That may be something else.

Q: Team: Is the Left Tackle spot really up for grabs? I understand that we moved K. Green to Left Guard to get him used to that side but J. Johnson (TN transfer) is a left side player too. Is it best one wins the position or is Green already known as that much better?

A: The spot isn't up for grabs. It'll be either Kenyon or Johnson and the other guy will be on the right side. It's an either/or proposition. I think Kenyon will be at left tackle, period.

Recruiting: Do you feel that we are struggling with recruiting in DFW or is just that Houston recruiting is so hot in comparison? (DXB19)

A: Absolutely not worried about it. What A&M is doing in Houston right now is pretty remarkable, so being just normal in D/FW looks almost bad.

Q: You said in last week's mailbag that A&M doesn't seem to really be pushing for Bryce Anderson. Was he just locked in on Texas or did A&M have other priorities at safety? (Maverick00)

A: You know, I'm not really sure. I expected a big, hell bent push to get him after he pulled the plug on LSU and it never really materialized. They seem to be taking a real slow approach at safety recruiting and when Bobby Taylor told me they'd discussed the prospect of him maybe playing some safety, it didn't go unnoticed.

Q: Any update on who the last scholarship may go to? Hopefully, there is a high-impact transfer in the portal.

A: The BIG guy in the portal is LB Henry To'oto'o, but I think he's going to Alabama (which sucks). Outside of that, there's nobody yet that moves the needle. Maybe after spring practice there will be, but right now the most logical outcome is giving the scholarship to Dametrious Crownover.

Why is our baseball team so BAD? There is not one star player on the team right now! Childress has done terribly in talent identification and/or development recently, time to hire Erik Bakich from Michigan! (kyling)

A: Well, it's still early. So I wouldn't give up hope just yet. But being 2-3 and going into the Round Rock tournament this weekend is not a very inspiring start.

Q: what's your futureCast accuracy percentage? (mrdoctore86)

A: I think it's pretty good over the past year or so. Getting wins like LJ and Sylla certainly helped my win percentage. I did miss on Tywone Malone, though, so it's not spotless.

Q: What is the most underperforming men’s athletic program on campus ?

A: Baseball.

Which program on campus would benefit most from a coaching change?

A: No comment.

Q: Myles Garrett vs. a light-heavyweight UFC fighter, who you got? (AggieinDC)

A: Wow. That's tough. Normally you take the fighter, but Myles is such a freak of nature. I think that you have to go with the fighter, but if Myles gets in the right position, he could rip the guy's arms off.

Q: When does spring football practice start? (Superag1000)

A: March 22.