Q: Most impactful freshman on D and O? (Tschaar)

A: Not an easy question, given how deep this team is. If you allow me to use redshirt freshmen, it’s easy on offense: Haynes King. If not, then you probably narrow it to either LJ Johnson or Bryce Foster. On defense, it’s even tougher. Redshirt? Maybe Edgerrin Cooper. If it’s a true freshman — wow. I don’t know. Maybe Shemar Turner.

Q: Harold Perkins ? Is he no longer a Aggie lean? I was excited to see him in our future defense. (Stormnorm)

A: It’s A&M or LSU for him. Nobody else is a factor right now. But he’s also not deciding until January, so it’s very premature to worry.

Q: 1. The two Swedish recruits - what level of interest from the staff? One of them was so interested in doing a visit he did a 14 day stay in Columbia so that he could then enter the US.

A: Both were offered, so I would say the interest is legitimate.

2. Same question about our surprise UOV from DT Tyre West.

A: That I think was more of a courtesy to Nick Williams. We’ll see in the next couple months.

3. Thoughts on Bryce Anderson, Perkins. Aggie leans?

A: I already mentioned Perkins. Anderson is probably 50/50.

4. A name rarely mentioned: Jordan Moko. What's his progress? (Have Gun Will Travel)

A: He’s just working out and doing summer things with the rest of the team. In other words, that’s an impossible question to answer.

Q: Given what you have said about us trailing Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State for the available top rated national safety recruits, what’s Jimbo going to do this cycle about the safety position should we whiff on Anderson? That leaves us with just Kerr on top of coming away with just one satiety last cycle. (Agcatter123)

A: And that may be how it works out. But we’ve also got another six months until the early signing period.

Q: I understand from another site that Bryce Anderson has delayed his commitment date. He had previously said he would commit on July4, but is now pushing that back. He visited the sips this past weekend and they thought they were in the cat bird’s seat and would get his commitment on the 4th. They’re now not so sure. What say you? Does this delay favor the good guys? Is Bryce now trending to A&M? I want us to get all the top instate guys.

A: And that would make you just like everyone else. I think that the fact he’s going to commit after the pool party favors A&M more than him moving the date back from July 4.

Q: I know the narrative is that Georgia is our biggest recruiting rival and I understand the argument, but it seems to me we are helped in recruiting instate talent when tu is struggling. To that end, how important is it for us to lock-up the top talent in the trenches, both sides of the ball? It seems to me tu won’t have the O line to let their skill players be successful, and their D line won’t stop even a weak b12 offense. If they drop a game to La and Arky, will that derail their recruiting for the 2023 class and undo the “we’ve got the next Nick Coach?” (AgSwag12)

A: Such obsession over Texas…tsk, tsk. It’s always important to get the best talent you can. I really don’t care about what issues Texas has; if you’re an elite staff, you go and get the majority of guys you want. As for their 2023 recruiting — look, the most important thing will always be relationships. They’re going to get theirs because they have an effective staff. But will other guys they’re in on go another direction if they don’t look like a competitor? Sure. But frankly, I want A&M to get the best players period, not just in Texas.

Q: 1. It seems like we're wavering on Harold Perkins and Bryce Anderson, which one is a higher priority?

A: I hate July. It’s the panic month. But anyway, Perkins is more important in my opinion.

2. Out of Keon Sabb, Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Kamari Wilson, & Xavier Nwankpa, what order would you place them in for probability of us landing them? (Oamj)

A: Dindy, Nwankpa, Wilson, Sabb.

Q: can you give me some percentages? (Richard23)

A: 85%.

Q: Do you know of any A&M athletes who have lined up some NIL endorsements? On a related note, Jacob Hester said today on Sirius that LSU has a gymnast with 1 million followers on social media, so she could make 6 figures. Derek Stingley is already signed on with Walk-Ons the restaurant. (Boo yah)

A: Isiah Spiller has signed with Raising Cane’s. That’s the first I know of.

Q: your own impressions on Conner's performance in the Elite? (Mrdoctore86)

A: I thought that once he warmed up, he was as good as any quarterback there. Which means any in the nation.

Q: Mark, do you think baseball will benefit heavily from players being able to cash in on NIL? I understand at the top of the draft you’re still going to lose guys, but with minor leaguers getting paid peanuts could that help guys forego the allure of playing in the minors and allow themselves to develop in college? (Big_hen11565)

A: Nah.

Q: What can we bitch about until football season? (86Aggie)

A: Judging from the mailbag so far, recruiting.

Q: Is Wiegman doing enough at Elite 11 to get a 5th star? (Aggiewoo)

A: Apparently he didn’t, from what Adam Gorney said. But a third-place finish there and a strong start to the season will make him a viable candidate — I think.

Q: Most championship teams have a first round quarterback, do we have one on our roster? (Homer001)

A: Most teams find out if they do once the guy has played some. A&M is no exception.

Q: Regarding NIL -- I saw where one of our players has stated that any money he brings in would be divided up evenly amongst all his teammates. Which is a pretty awesome thing to do. I wondered if you thought there could be a ground swell amongst our team, or others, where everyone on the team agrees that all monies brought in are split up evenly amongst all players? Could get complicated, but, would certainly do away with any jealousy's or animosities amongst teammates when you have a couple of stars rake in cash and no one else brings in a dime. (Lawhall)

A: It would be nice, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen. What Ainias said he would do is awesome and will make him even more beloved in the locker room, but there are going to be some guys who have never had a cent and will have a hard time parting with cash once they have it. That’s not a criticism, that’s just the nature of things.

Q: Comparing Louisiana's population to other states that are similar, why does Louisiana have so many good football players?

A: They place a big emphasis on football in Louisiana. More than any other sport, so football gets the most athletic players and a chance to develop them.

College baseball: Who plays in the stadium in Omaha besides colleges playing for national championship? Why was that stadium picked to have the College World Series every year? (FbFan222)

A: I don’t know why the CWS is in Omaha, but it always has been. As for the stadium, I believe Omaha has a AAA baseball team that uses it. (The Omaha Storm Chasers are the AAA affiliate of the Royals, so I was right.)

Q: I know lots of questions have already been asked about the NIL but are there currently any rules on what can be or can not be done?

A: Yes, but they are extremely vague.

Can companies that sponsor teams, offer players deals to attend certain universities?

A: Technically, no.

Does all of this bode well for us or does it breath life into teams, like the PAC-12, and Big-12 to gain relevance?

A: A&M has a lot of money, so it bodes well for them. It may help a couple of teams in those conferences, but I think this simply changes the playing field. It doesn’t alter it.

Q: To win a NT , we must ,at least ,get better at disrupting the other teams receivers at line of scrimmage,didn’t see much of that last year from our Cb’s.On the other side we routinely got mugged by LSU and Alabama CB’s and got very little separation .Why will be much better at these things in 2021? (69Ag)

A: Well, the Aggies had the best pass defense in the SEC last year. They really had one horrible game, and that was week 2. As for the other side of the ball, the receivers will be bigger, stronger and the cast will be deeper in 2021.

Q: QB recruiting has been going nicely to say the least. Out of King, Stowers, Weigman, Holstein…who are you the most excited about? Who do you think has the most upside? Highest ceiling? Most potential? Etc. (DXB19)

A: Right now, I’m most excited about King because he’s my presumed QB1 for 2021. Overall, It’s probably Weigman because of what he can do with his legs. But they’re all four very good quarterbacks.

Q: Mark, sorry for injecting my left brain in this NIL. What about the IRS ramifications of this? They will get their pound of flesh, we all know it. And this is income. Just wondering if this is part of the NIL presentations that I know are going on with the recruits. Throw a bunch of accounting majors in there to earn some credits?? (Tsmith3001)

A: It absolutely is. They’re 1099 employees, so they’re going to have to pay taxes on it. Welcome to the adult world, guys.

Q: Kojo to OSU confounds the heck out of me. Those guys are loaded at WR, I realize every kid think he's the best out there but if I were looking to get to the NFL I would think catching a lot of passes beats the heck out of catching a few passes so I'd probably look for a team where I could start. Is Craig a lousy recruiter or what? (H273)

A: First, nobody is having better success with wideouts in the NFL right now than Ohio State. That’s clearly a selling point. But I don’t think he’d start at A&M or there. So there’s that too.

Q: Mark, given Banks announcement, coupled with recent switched future casts moving Dewberry from us to tOSU, what is going on with our prized OL targets and what can be done to get the ox out of the ditch? We’ve gone from a few potentially super recruiting class to scrambling for plan B fixes. (Agswag12)

A: Another example of why I hate July. There’s nothing going on so there’s ample time to freak out. Is Dewberry announcing anytime soon? No. So they continue to recruit him. And why would there be a “scramble” when we’re six months from the early signing period?

Q: Haven’t heard much on Perkins lately. You still confident he’s coming our way? (Lilspud87)

A: See above.

Q: Do you agree that our huge/awesome OL haul last year is a big reason why we are not getting the top OL guys like Banks and probably Dewberry? Or, do you think that it has more to do with the Nike-NIL factor? I think we will be fine; but it does put more pressure on OL recruiting next year. (Kyling)

A: I think it has to do with the NIL factor and relationships. It has very little, if anything, to do with the last haul.

Q: NIL question...it seems like high school athletes can contractually bind themselves to companies now even before they enroll in a school. For instance, Banks could sign a Nike endorsement development deal with the stipulation that he attends Oregon. Would this have a profound effect on the importance of signing day? Why would Banks back out of his verbal commitment to Oregon if he has already signed and may be executing with Nike or more likely a local company, thereby tying him to Oregon ahead of signing day? (Joefried)

A: First off, that would be a violation of what little NIL regulations there are. And if you get caught paying high schoolers, there’s still going to be hell to pay.

Q: How do the NIL laws in Texas differ from the NIL laws in Oregon? Does how the law is written in Oregon give them an advantage? (Big Smoothie)

A: No, it doesn’t.

Q: Has the coaching staff being caught off guard with regards to other teams NIL capabilities? (Mrdoctore86)

A: No.

Q: Already getting a taste of recruiting life with NIL. Oregon, Miami seem to be out in front. Were we caught flat footed? Do you see us creating a new staff position to address marketing opportunities for players and recruits? (The Stein)

A: No, they weren’t caught flat-footed. Having one guy commit to another program doesn’t mean they’ve screwed up. And they have a program in place for all the NIL stuff.

Q: Our roster looks pretty solid and there doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity for the true freshmen to find a spot in the 2-deep right away…who are the ones you think might crack the depth chart? Follow up: is this what being elite looks like? (Kareie)

A: Barring injury, I don’t see many in the depth chart. Bryce Foster, probably, and either Deuce Harmon or Tyreek Chappell. But that’s about it. It would take some injuries for other freshmen to break into the two-deep.

And yes, this is what being elite looks like.

Q: What if a junior is going to go pro but a corporate sponsor steps up and pays them to stay? Interference or just part of the game? (Richard23)

A: Both, unfortunately.

Q: I'm of the understanding that the NIL laws require players to report their NIL deals to the school. Do these laws also require the schools to disclose those deals publicly? (Proudag96)

A: No, but they probably will anyway. But it does require the companies to do so and the players to pay taxes on the revenue.

Q: Ever Wonder Why? (TAMU-83)

A: Frequently.

Q: Really. How bad has it been for recruiting since July 1? It looks like all our top recruits have and will be snatched away from us. (Aggdoc)

A: Please tell me this is a joke because otherwise, it’s just silly panic and nowhere near accurate. God, I hate July.

Q: Will schools start to change from Nike to something else if Oregon plays big money under the NIL? (OferAg)

A: I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I wouldn’t want to do business with a company I don’t think has my best interests involved.

Q: What is Javonne Shepard's status? When does he become eligible to transfer to a 4 yr college? Does A&M still have any interest? (Jaydub2)

A: He’s not even on the radar.

Q: has there been enough questions yet? (Boss Atlas)

A: Yes.

Q: Will this be the best mailbag in the history of AY? (Jamisko11)

A: Unlikely.