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Q: Elko talks about grading practices like games. Do they have officials at all or most practices? (Gmalone)
A: They have officials at all practices.
Q: Not a questions, but I would appreciate your “State of the Program” as we enter the 2024 season. (BC93)
A: That’s a good idea, and I’ll do that as a separate piece this weekend. But I think you guys have already heard most of it.
Q: Has Buzz added enough shooters (especially 3-point shooters) through recruiting and portal to improve our woeful shooting percentage?
A: They’ve got a couple of guys who should be able to help, but it would help if Wade Taylor shoots like he did at the end of the season in the beginning and Jace Carter shoots like he’s supposed to be able to.
Does Buzz really believe that we actually need shooters? (Rick77)
A: You’d better believe it.
Q: Does Ruben Owens attend practices and team meetings while recovering from his injury? (BoxsterBoy72)
A: Yes.
Q: Say some nice things about the offensive line. (Richard23)
A: The left side of Trey Zuhn and Chase Bisontis should be very good. Like upper part of the SEC good. Ar’maj Reed-Adams is an absolute physical beast. They have plenty of depth in the interior line.
Q: Fact or Fiction: It’s time to panic about the current state of recruiting if Jonah Williams doesn’t commit to the good guys. (MC9008)
A: Absolute bleeping fiction. They have a top 10 class, their player average is solid and they’re doing this with zero record backing at A&M. They’ve already got quality defensive players, and their corner group may be as good as any in the nation. Husan Longstreet is one of the nation’s best quarterback. They’ve got the best running back and tight end in Texas. Where they need to do better is at receiver and offensive tackle, and that is something that they’ve got to prove that they’re better than the Jimbo era.
Q: Howdy Mark. I have known Shane Calhoun’s uncle for several years and he sent a picture of him, Shane and his parents on Kyle Field earlier this. Shane is definitely legit with his size.
What are your thoughts on him and do you think he will play? Maybe special teams?
I’ll hang up and listen. (Lskeen)
A: I think that he’ll be in the two-deep to start the season, but it depends a lot on Donovan Green. When Green gets healthy, that changes things. Someone is going to get bumped.
Q: With early future cast of some big time players from Texas to A&M, what changed?
A: Recruiting. It’s never easy or consistent.
With such a big recruiting year in Texas for top-end players, how come A&M and Texas didn't fair so well? (Big Smoothie)
A: There are a ton of reasons. Recruiting is now national and some of the big boys — Ohio State and Georgia — have come in and exerted their influence. NIL, of course, plays a role. And there’s always luck. A&M has a new staff, and their relationships are largely newer and not as deep with the 2025 class as some of the other guys. Texas? I’m not sure what their problem is.
Q: What happened to Garrett Miller? I was expecting him to come in and be a starter and I'm not even sure I've seen him listed on the Spring depth charts. (Reez05)
A: Because he hasn’t practiced at all this summer. I have no idea what, or when, he’ll do this season.
Q: Are some of the knocks against our OL really about our OL, or about who they're facing daily (either the DL 1's or 2's), or some sort of combo of the two? (Jphillips97)
A: I think it’s a combo of both. If this defense is what we think it is, they’ve been facing some vicious competition in 11-on-11. And if the offensive line has done what coach Elko said and improved to the point where they’re holding their own against this defense, they should be able to hold their own against just about anyone.
Q: You mentioned last week that we have more depth than we have had in the past few years which may lead to fewer freshmen seeing meaningful time. While that is a good thing in a normal world, how does that play in the portal world where these kids leave at the drop of a hat? (Naytch)
A: I’d look at it this way: if they’re not playing this season, they probably wouldn’t playing at a program of comparable quality. They had to know there would be a lot of upperclassmen transferring in, especially after the coaching change. And, if you’re looking at it from Elko’s perspective, what’s more important — them getting playing time or you winning games?
These guys need time to develop. They’re having the good fortune to get it (for now). Hopefully they understand that.
Q: At the beginning of every season I believe in our team to win it all. By the end of the third game reality hits me.
When did you know that we had something special in the 2020 season?
A: The second half of the Florida game. At the start of the fourth quarter, Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News (God rest his soul) came over and said, “They’re going to win this game.” And I thought, “Yeah, they’re on to something. They can’t stop them on the ground.” And then they stomped a Mike Leach team in Starkville, then weren’t really challenged by Arkansas. At that point, it was pretty clear that they were really good and Alabama was just in a class by itself.
How many games do you think it will take you to recognize if this team has it? (Spar2cus)
A: Hopefully the first one, because it’s serious business right off the bat.
Q: How do you see Elko and Klein attacking the ND defense this coming week?
A: It really depends on the offensive line. If they can hold up, Notre Dame’s corners are both thin and banged up already. They could have some opportunities to hit them down the field (which I know is ironic, considering how I’ve harped on the lack of explosiveness). I think they may also go up-tempo, considering the heat.
From what you know and have seen, do Elko and Klein (from the O perspective) adjust well during the games?
A: We know Elko does. I’ve said it many times before, but Mike Sherman was the best pre-game planner I’ve ever seen and the worst halftime adjuster. Elko is the best halftime adjuster. Klein? I don’t know. But when he talks about adapting the offense based on the opponent, I have to think he’s looking for things that would work better instead of just going with the same old stuff.
Do you see the heat/humidity at game time being an advantage for A&M, or is that somewhat overblown wishful thinking? (Tsip despiser)
A: Do I think it’ll be decisive? No. But, as I write this Thursday afternoon, it is 77 degrees in South Bend. It is 98 with a head index of 111 in College Station. That’s a MASSIVE difference, and invariably will have some effect.
Q: Is Jonah Williams significantly better than the true freshman safeties on campus? Is he so much better that they break the bank for him?
Or show him love and make a reasonable offer, and hope he picks the Ags? (12th Fan)
A: I think he’s bigger, more athletic and more versatile. He could be a linebacker at the next level. And I would very much like to see him commit. But it’s hard to get wound up about recruiting now when the transfer portal serves the same purpose with more experienced players.
Q: What are your thoughts on Fatheree? This guy stonewalled Bama's 1st round DE 2 years ago. What was the injury, and is that what ultimately derailed him? (Elicrow)
A: My thoughts are irrelevant, to be honest. But he had a knee injury last spring and it clearly hampered him last year. I don’t know if he’s all the way back now. Knee injuries are bad news for a guy 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds.
Q: In the portal piece you did, you listed several OL that transferred out and landed at other schools. Were these OL highly ranked coming out of HS and if so, what is your opinion on why these guys haven’t found success and is it more difficult to accurately rank HS OL than any other position? (Sgilmore)
A: Bryce Foster was a 5-star and, I think, the seventh player overall at one point. Colton Thomasson was a 4-star. Jordan Spasojevic-Moko was a 4-star. Remington Strickland was a 4-star. Naquil Betrand was a 3-star.
Moko was done at A&M. He was essentially off the team all of last year. Strickland, in my opinion, just isn’t athletic enough. Thomasson could still be good. Betrand is extremely raw.
What did they all have in common? Their position coach was terrible. Foster was a freshman All-American under Josh Henson, and then things spiraled with Addazio. And not just for him, for everyone.
To your final point, I think it is more difficult to judge offensive linemen. Maybe them and cornerbacks are the toughest to really evaluate when it comes to making the jump. There’s no doubt A&M missed badly on some guys, but has also hit too. It’s the nature of the beast.
Q: What are the 3 matchups (besides DLine) that we have the greatest advantage at against ND? (AggieApprasier)
A: A&M’s receivers against Notre Dame’s corners. Like I said above, they are apparently thin and banged up.
A&M’s corners against Notre Dame’s receivers. They weren’t explosive last year, and, while they’ve made some changes, don’t look to be all that this year (of course, I’ll say that and they’ll go for 400 yards). But I do like the Aggie corners a lot.
And the final one is Mike Elko against Riley Leonard. Nobody knows Leonard better than his old coach, including his tendencies on when and where to run. That could be a critical part of the game.
Q: All these football knowledge questions. What we really need to know is, has the pregame and enter music changed? (Tsmith3001)
A: If you’re looking for Power, I think you’re going to be disappointed.
Q: Are you on the sideline or a booth? (H273)
A: I do both, so I can take some pictures early on.
Q: Presuming they continue to have interviews, let ya'll in to observe here and there, and have another scrimmage this weekend, what do you expect to learn about this team heading into the game in 9 days and how much in specifics do you expect to see about the playbook and strategies? (DentonAg80)
A: Simple answer: they’re not letting us in. Done.
Q: I know Riley Leonard is a talented QB but looking at his game by game stats, he has struggled against teams with pretty good defenses.
If you have seen any tape on him, what are your overall thoughts on his strengths and weaknesses? How has he handled passing under pressure?
A: I haven’t watched much tape on him, but he got hurt against Notre Dame last year and missed a month, then only played in two games after that. But even before he got hurt, his numbers were way down compared to 2022. He only completed 42.4% of his passes against top 25 competition and hit less than 50% of his passes on 3rd and 6 or more. But he’s always been a dangerous scrambler, which you can’t ignore.
It looks like DT Howard Cross has a slight hamstring injury. It sounds like if he had to play, he could go but curious if you have heard anything on how limited he might be for the A&M game?(OferAg)
A: I expect him to be full go.
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