AggieYell Mailbag, sponsored by Tipton Auto Group
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Q: Do we have a spring football training schedule yet? (Ag98)
A: Just that the spring game will be April 20. So I figure practices will start around March 20.
Q: The 2024 Aggie baseball team is going to be crazy good from an offense production aspect. What are your thoughts regarding the possible overall power production with the team and the ball going yard? The addition of B. Montgomery to go along with J. La Violette alone has me excited. Who else should contribute here? (HeadleyG2)
A: That’s what’s so exciting about this team — everyone could contribute. They added another outfielder, Hayden Schott, who hit .333 with Columbia last year. Shortstop Ali Camarillo, another transfer, hit .371 at Cal State Northridge. Freshman 3B Gavin Grahovac came in with a lot of hype and has crushed the ball in training camp and practice games. Top to bottom, they could put a lineup out there with no holes, 1-9.
Q: Do we have any pitchers with MLB potential? (H273)
A: They have a bunch of power arms. How well they command their stuff will determine whether they’re good enough to pitch at the highest level. But they have something like 15 guys who can throw 95 or better.
Q: Can you explain how travel works for our teams? I assume most travel is by charter aircraft, but are trips to away games always one night away from campus? (AgNok)
A: Travel is done by charter. But the football team would go out two nights earlier, which Jimbo said helped team unity and gave the players more study time. The players absolutely hated it. So I expect they’ll go back to going the day before like everyone else.
Q: What kind of information are you hearing of the progress of the new Strength and conditioning coach? (Big Smoothie)
A: Nothing so far, but I don’t really need to. There are certain people where you can figure out what’s going to happen on the strength of their resume, and Tommy Moffit is one of them.
Q: HOW DOES BUZZ GET CONSISTENCY OUT OF THIS HOOPS TEAM? ONE WEEK WE ARE BEATING THE NATION'S BEST HANDILY. THE NEXT, WE ARE LOSING TO BOTTOM FEEDERS (AginAfIII)
A: It’s not week to week; it’s three days. And some of that, at the very least, is on Buzz. When announcers are talking about how your workouts lack energy and you’re acting like you’re just going to walk in and win, that’s a very bad sign. A&M needs to play like their hair’s on fire every single game.
Q: Any movement on the AD front? We don't seem to be in a hurry but we have to have one eventually. (BVOSUX)
A: Nothing yet. Both of the last two searches have taken a couple of months, so we may be waiting a while.
Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of men’s basketball recruiting in both HS and portal?
Can we ever expect men’s basketball recruiting to be in the top 10 or 20? (Spar2cus)
A: A lot of people had A&M’s 2022 class in the top 20. But basketball recruiting is very different from football, because a basketball recruiting class can be two guys, or three guys, but usually not more than five. Unless you’re just reeling in one McDonald’s All-American after another like Duke or UNC or UConn, it’s hard to tell one recruiting class from another.
When A&M has gone into the portal, they’re usually looking for upperclassmen who can immediately fill a need. Examples would be like Dexter Dennis or Julius Marble. They did that with Eli Lawrence this year and it’s been a bust. Jace Carter had two years left and Henry Coleman transferred in as a sophomore, so they’re kind of exceptions to the rule.
A&M will probably never get elite transfers because other schools (cough cough Arkansas cough cough) will fork over the big NIL money to get them. And look where it’s gotten them this year. But they can get some guys who can be big pieces to the overall puzzle.
And hopefully, they can find someone who can consistently shoot from 3 this offseason.
Q: What do you think of Texas AD’s comments about moving Texas game back to T-day. Does our administration support this? Lord I hope not but I suspect old ags will win the day on this. (Aggiewoo)
A: If Chris del Conte wants something, I don’t. Period. Full stop. And I absolutely, positively DO NOT WANT to play that game on Thanksgiving Day. I hate it on Thanksgiving Day. I don’t mind Friday, or Saturday. But I hate it on Thursday. And honestly, I’d be just as happy playing LSU the final weekend of the season.
Q: How is our pitching going into the season? (Brojustin8)
A: That’s the big question. They had talent last year and were bad. They have more talent this year and a new pitching coach, so the arms are there. We’ve just got to see results.
Q: Coach Elko mentioned being way behind on the '25 class. How would you rate the upcoming couple of classes? State? Nationally? (JustAvgIllini)
A: I can’t say much about nationally, because there’s always going to be high quality out there. But in terms of in-state, 2025 looks like it’s going to be really good. It’s got a ton of wideouts, some good running backs and a lot of good offensive linemen and defensive backs. A&M can do a lot of shopping near home this year, should they decide to.
Q: How is your family doing? Has everyone recovered from their medical issues? (Smasher200)
A: Thanks for asking. I appreciate that. I’d like to say yes, but I’d be lying. The wife is having a flareup of her issues, so the last couple of days have been rough on her. My dad is still having some trouble walking, but he’s on the mend. They’re still working on figuring out what exactly caused him to become totally disoriented and drive 100 miles in the wrong direction. And my back is hurting. But that’s not a big deal at all.