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Q: First offensive play against ND.

A: Run left.

Will our first drive result in a score? (Richard23)

A: Response hazy. Try back after first drive.

Q: Since joining the SEC, who are your top 10 football/baseball/basketball players who never played or their career’s were cut short abruptly due to injury? (CoffeeGuy06)

A: Can we add transfers in too? This is tough.

I’m going to add stupidity, too, and you’ll see why quickly, because the first two are Darian Claiborne and Isaiah Golden. Those guys could have been mainstays for three or four years on the defense, but they decided to be idiots instead.

Zach Ledwik could have been the left tackle of the future, but injuries sank him.

Nick Harvey was never the same after tearing his ACL in an open spring practice.

Justin Dunning could’ve been the same kind of safety Trey Jones is now, but injuries ruined him.

Aaron Hansford probably would be in the NFL right now if he hadn’t had that massive knee injury — on offense, no less. He ended up being an excellent linebacker, but there was so much more he could have achieved.

Injuries sank Hezekiah Jones. When he was healthy, he was reliable, if not great — but he got banged up early in his career and just never could consistently stay on the field.

Jeremiah Martin was a physical freak, but he never got it together at A&M. He had one All-Pac-12 season at Washington in 2022, but it wasn’t enough to continue his career. Major disappointment.

Tyree Wilson is obviously in the NFL now, but he would have been a factor at A&M had he waited a season. He just got caught up in a talented defensive line rotation and needed to develop.

Two guys jumped at me from the 2019 class: Erick Young and Baylor Cupp. Young, I will never understand. He just couldn’t find a fit. And, once Mike Elko had Antonio Johnson, that was the ballgame at nickel. And then nobody gave him a second shot. Cupp would have been a monster had he not gotten hurt in fall camp his freshman year. I’ll go to my grave believing that.

This is an eleventh, but the shining example: Demond Demas. What an absolute physical specimen. And what a complete idiot. Totally wasted the most talent that any Aggie receiver has ever had when they walked on campus.

Q: 1. Now that you have been watching the practices, is there any player that we lost since the coaching change would you really like back? You know one that you would say, " if we only had kept _____, we would a team to watch out for"? I think the only one I would like back is the TE Johnson. He wasn't the greatest athlete, but he got it done. His experience at TE, I think, would have really helped Connor out.

A: Honestly? No. Maybe Jake. Fadil Diggs would have been nice, but would you rather him or Nic Scourton? Self-explanatory there. Jacoby Mathews has plenty of talent, but didn’t want to get with the program. Most of the other guys weren’t assets, were me-first players or both. So adios.

2. Is this recruiting cycle going as expected? I have noticed that we are starting to lose out on some of the top playmakers, now. Are we out of NIL money? I mean we some very good talent coming in, but the elite players are making their choices to go elsewhere. Is this about the new, unproven coaching staff? That usually gets you points with recruits. Or, is this "Jimbo hangover"?

I'll hang up and listen. (Aggdoc)

A: Well, they got a 4-star last night and they’ve got the number eight class in the nation, so I’m not sure this is accurate. They’re having trouble recruiting wide receivers. That’s it. I know some people will scream about offensive tackle, but they have three 4-stars there too.

Offensive players, in many cases, are going to want to wait and see what the new offense can do with A&M’s personnel. I don’t think that’s unfair. I’d probably do the same thing. But if they come out and start putting up yards and points, that changes things quickly.

Q: Would you say this class is a success based on what we have to date, despite losing on some big names at OT and WR? Maybe we need a year of proving it on the field? Clearly recruits believe our defense, but do you think we need to prove ourselves on the field before we compete for the offensive stars? (Richard23)

A: This plays perfectly into the last question. I think you’re right in that defensive guys know what Elko’s defenses can do because they’ve already done it at A&M. They don’t know what Collin Klein’s offense can do in the SEC with A&M’s personnel. So I do think it’s a “show me” mindset for a lot of offensive players.

Now, back to the first question: is it a success? Right now, they have 20 commits. They have five offensive linemen, a stud running back, an elite quarterback, four excellent corners (one of whom, at least, is severely underrated), two excellent linebacker and an excellent group on the defensive line. If they can keep this together and add a few more guys, yes, I think this is absolutely a success.

Q: I really enjoy the practice updates. You have mentioned a lot of things you are really impressed with. Anything that is a head scratcher or something your are disappointed in? (Jamisko11)

A: I’m still anxious about the offensive line, and hoped that Gabe Dindy would just explode and starting knocking people over everywhere. Which is unfair to him, of course. And we have no idea how things may turn out over the next three weeks.

Q: Oh, yes! How about Gabe Dindy and Sam Taumanupepe? How are they doing? (Aggdoc)

A: Both guys have work to do to get on the field for meaningful snaps. Dindy looks like he will get to play, but I don’t know if Taumanupepe will.

Q: How far back would you have to go to find a better defensive class from top to bottom? (Travster23)

A: First off, it may be a bad idea to judge it right now. On paper, 2022’s class on defense looked dominant and ended up being an utter disaster. 2020 had a lot of misses as well, but had Antonio Johnson, Edgerrin Cooper, Jaylon Jones, Fadil Diggs and McKinnley Jackson in it. Four of those guys are in the NFL and the fifth will be. That’s probably the best class recently.

Q: Technical question:

I see that all players are now practicing with the padded foam helmet covers. I’m thinking that this is new. My recollection is that previously these were only worn by OL and DL . I’ve seen that these provide around 10% reduction in collision force. First, is my observation regarding the full team correct?

A: I hadn’t thought about it, but yes. You are correct.

And secondly , while intended for helmet to helmet collisions, also reduce the impact of any collision, does this contribute to the reduction of injuries? Appreciate your thoughts on this. (dad_in_tx)

A: I don’t think they’d have them on if they didn’t. And I don’t think — I’m not sure on this, but I don’t think — that a player has missed a practice due to a concussion so far.

Q: In the days before the portal, I would be disturbed with the lack of success recruiting WR's. I think we have an excellent WR coach, and our OC will call plays to allow us to put up some points and show what a WR can do in his offense. If successful, then I think we will have a lot of interest from WR's in the portal and we will pick up some good ones. Am I being too simplistic or engaging in wishful thinking by us not getting them directly from high school? (GCJC)

A: Considering the number of receivers that were in the portal last winter, I think your thinking is pretty logical. Put up yards and points, and A&M will be a hot destination in December.

Q: Marsh & Ffrench, WRs. Are we still in the hunt for either? (Hogtide)

A: No.

Q: Positions we need to hit the hardest in the next portal window? (6.William.Bs)

A: Too early to say; we have to see what the losses are at season’s end. But right now, I would say offensive tackle and receiver are two I’d be interested in. Running back may be one as well.

Q: What have you noticed with the team chemistry?

Is that something you can see or tell any difference? (Spar2cus)

A: It’s hard to say. We only see a little bit of practice most days, and some days none at all. Today was the only day we’ve seen a full practice, and they looked like a cohesive group. But that’s just one look. I’d love to tell you that I know that the chemistry has improved, but I can only speculate.