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Q: Last week you did piece on how the portal guys we took did (THANK YOU)! Could you do one on how those that left did? (BVOSUX)
A: Walter Nolen: 48 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries at Ole Miss. That’s a first round season, like him or not.
Evan Stewart: 48 catches, 613 yards (12.8 YPC), 5 TD. In Oregon’s offense, bluntly, that’s below average. He was more productive at A&M.
Jardin Gilbert: 48 tackles, .5 TFL, .5 sacks, 1 INT at LSU. A&M absolutely ate him alive, and LSU is looking desperately for safeties in the portal.
LT Overton: 35 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery for Alabama. He finally found a defensive coordinator who knew how to use him.
Jake Johnson: 2 catches, 21 yards for UNC. He made a terrible mistake.
Fadil Diggs: 45 tackles, 14 TFL, 7.5 sacks for Syracuse. He had a great season.
Naquil Betrand: Never saw the field at Alabama and has already transferred to Syracuse.
Isaiah Raikes: 15 tackles, 1.5 TFL for Auburn.
Bryce Foster: Second team All-Big 12 at Kansas. He got his wakeup call.
Max Johnson: Suffered a severe leg injury against Minnesota in UNC’s opener and missed the rest of the year. Will return to play under Bill Belichick this season.
Colton Thomasson: Got into four games on the offensive line for Baylor.
Jordan Anthony: 8 catches, 111 yards for Arkansas. Only had five catches after the 70-0 opening day blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Tony Grimes: Started 12 games at corner for UNLV. 20 tackles, 6 passes broken up, back in the portal.
Deuce Harmon: 28 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, 8 passes broken up for SMU. A key part of their secondary.
Jurriente Davis: 9 tackles for Louisville.
Jordan Moko: started at guard for Charlotte, is back in the portal.
Fernando Garza:1 catch for 2 yards at Sam Houston, back in the portal.
Remington Strickland: backup at TCU.
Q: What are some of your early thoughts on the 2025 schedule?
A: As far as schedules that are already pretty set go, it’s not bad. Getting seven of your first eight games at home is good, and South Carolina is late in the year so that game should be huge.
What 2-3 players recruitments are you most interested in following right now? (ChampKindKHOU11)
A: Good question. I really don’t know. I guess I’m interested in KC Concepcion’s, but I’m really more interested in seeing who else comes available on the defensive line in the portal.
Q: What grades (A-F) would you give Elko, the team, and each position coach for the season and a brief explanation for your grades? (Big Smoothie)
A: That is way too much work and would end up being the size of a decent manifesto. Let’s just say I give Elko a solid B, the coordinators Cs and the team as a whole a B-. Elko had to do a lot in a short period of time in the offseason and had to power hose off the stink Jimbo left behind. And to get a team that was limited offensively and not as potent defensively to within one game of Atlanta is a pretty darned good job.
Q: With the exception of our DL the rest of our roster, on paper, looks really good. Do you agree?
A: Yes, I do.
Where do you see Evans, Williams, Jackson and Scarlet playing on the DL? And, do we know if they are ready to play a significant role next year? I would think that we need at least two DT's from the portal (lskeen)
A: Evans is a DT. Williams and Jackson are ends. I think we’ll know more about where they are after the bowl game. As for Scarlet, he’s just a tweener who doesn’t really fit in either spot, and that’s why he hasn’t played.
Q: When a player enters the portal with a "don't contact" because they have something lined up with another school already, how is that not obvious tampering like the case with the DE from Missouri and now the Branch brothers. (MrRocknRolla)
A: It very likely is tampering and, until someone loses their ever-living mind over it and tries to start something, the NCAA won’t do a bleeping thing. Of course, Lane Kiffin probably wouldn’t appreciate a crackdown.
Q: Other than Shemar, Shemar, and Scourton (which sounds like a billboard law firm), who else is opting out of the bowl game? Sorry if that's been listed somewhere already, but I couldn't find it. (Rick77)
A: You haven’t found it because there isn’t anyone else. That’s it.
Q: With 5 QB's now on the roster, it appears either Reed is the man no matter what or they actually think one of the other 4 can either push him, replace him or be good enough in an injury situation. Which is it?
A: He’s the guy. Period, full stop.
Do you think any of the other 4 are good enough? Did the staff not learn from '24? I feel really exposed at the QB situation. Help me feel better (91Ag)
A: They brought Zeno in because they think that, if something happens, he can win games in the SEC. He put up big numbers last year on a bad UAB team. He’s an accurate thrower with a good arm and has operated an RPO-based offense in the past. They like O’Neill, and he clearly has a huge arm. The clearly like Hart, and Morcos was a hot commodity down the stretch. They have talent.
Q: How much usage do you think Rueben Owens gets in the bowl game? (Naytch)
A: I personally expect him to split carries with Amari Daniels.
Q: What (in your opinion) is the offensive identity of this team? (CypressAggie)
A: This year, maybe out of necessity, it was a power running football team. Hopefully it becomes more versatile in 2025, because it kind of lost its identity after Le’Veon Moss went down.
Q: Two-deep for bowl game? Looks like we got 19 in the portal and a handful declared for the draft. (Pebbycree)
A: My guess is —
QB: Marcel Reed, Miles O’Neill
RB: Amari Daniels, Rueben Owens
TE: Tre Watson, Theo Ohrstrom
WR (X): Noah Thomas, Terry Bussey
WR (Z): Jahdae Walker, Moose Muhammad
WR (SLOT): Jahdae Barber, Ashton Bethel-Roman
LT: Trey Zuhn, Robert Bourdon
LG: Chase Bisontis, Papa Ahfua
C: Koli Faaiu, Ashton Funk
RG: Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Blake Ivy
RT: Demetrious Crownover, Deuce Fatheree
DE: Cashius Howell, Kendall Jackson
DT: DJ Hicks, Rodas Johnson
DT: Albert Regis, Dealyn Evans
DE: Rylan Kennedy, Solomon Williams
LB: Scooby Williams, Daymion Sanford
LB: Taurean York, Solomon DeShields
NICKEL: BJ Mayes, Jaydon Hill
CB: Will Lee, Jayvon Thomas
S: Bryce Anderson, Marcus Ratcliffe
S: Dalton Brooks, Trey Jones
CB: Dezz Ricks, BJ Mayes
It’s not much different among the starters, save for the defensive line.
Q: Any word of outward (as in leaving) movement from the coaching staff? (H273)
A: No.
Q: Do you believe the numbers floating around for Micah Hudson's deal? ($700k, 3 cars for family members, chauffeured to/from practice in a Cadillac SUV, flights/accommodations/tickets for 10 family members for all games - home/away) (CypressAggie)
A: No. That whole thing is stupid.
Q: Is there any hope for a DC? (Majorogden44)
A: That depends on the new Superman movie.
That’s not what you meant, was it?
Q: which freshman do you see stepping up in the bowl game and making a name for themselves and giving us a preview for 2025. (Richard23)
A: I hope Solomon Williams does. He’s a guy I’ve been a big fan of since before he committed last year. I think he could help solve the problem at defensive end, but I guess we’ll get a bit of a look.
Q: Assign percentages to each of these groups of football players that enter the portal. This is a non-binding best guess, obviously.
1) Voluntarily entered because they think they can get more playing time at another school, or don't like their coach or whatever. But doesn't have a landing spot in place before entering the portal
2) Was approached by their own coaching staff and told they haven't played much yet, and based on the current players, they aren't going to to in the future. "We are telling you, you have to enter the portal"
3) Surreptitious communication with another coaching staff and they have a landing spot in more or less in place before they enter the portal
4) The quiet quitting group. They haven't played more than a dozen snaps in 3 years since HS. Don't really want to "quit" football, but this gives them a screen for walking out the door. They can tell their friends, "I didn't really quit football. I entered the portal and didn't get picked up".
Are any of the percentages higher for one group at A&M than other SEC schools? Is there a group or players I missed? (Boone8466)
A: All together, kids: “Mark doesn’t do percentages because they’re a waste of time and purely conjecture.”
Now, having said that and totally realizing that each team is different, number one is the overwhelming reason and number four almost never happens. Two is becoming increasingly common as teams try to struggle to get to or stay under 85. If you look at the players that went in the portal for A&M, I think it’s pretty clear they felt like they weren’t going to play and they knew it. I wouldn’t say they were shoved out the door, but they were aware of the depth chart. Three happens way too much with big names.
Q: The current portal system & schedule seems to be a disaster, especially for the post season. The current system leaves many bowl teams decimated to where they were a shadow of their regular season team and it's making the bowl games even more ho-hum, which we will see in nearly empty stadiums. Even some of the Playoff teams are experiencing players transferring that might be needed for their teams post-season run.
I saw that the 2nd team Penn St. QB is in the portal but wanted to finish the season with his team. However, he had to enter the portal before the timeline ended to be able to better find a team that fit his talents. Wait until the season is over and you have to wait until Spring and many schools might have the position solidified.
Should the portal window be delayed until after the season is over?
A: My proposal is very simple — the entire month of February is open portal. And, with the exception of 10 days in April after spring ball, that’s it. The current situation is a disaster, as you said.
Also, the amount of kids entering the portal after each season is ridiculous. Should the NCAA limit the # of times a player can transfer without being penalized?
A: I wish they could, but the genie’s out of the bottle and these guys are now clearly free agents. The only way it stops is when programs stop rewarding these guys who go in three or four times.
What can be changed to better the sport? (3GAg)
A: Fire every ref in the SEC.
Q: Who are the '25 early enrollees? Who might make the 2-deep?
A: All of them except Jerome Myles, who, coincidentally, is the first guy I thought of in the two-deep. But right now you’d have to say DJ Sanders and Chase Sims are looking good for playing time at defensive tackle; Lamont Rogers could be in the two-deep at tackle and one of the freshmen could be a backup at corner if they don’t add another veteran.
How long will DL acquisitions from the portal drag out? Are they waiting on others to declare? (DriverD)
A: I said this on the board earlier, but we’re only 10 days in. There are a lot of teams still playing or players who won’t enter until after their bowl games (or CFP games). The Aggies didn’t start getting hot on the defensive side of the ball until the first week of January last year, and I don’t see any reason why this will be any different.
Q: Football:
Do you expect portal players coming out after their team loses in the playoffs?
A: Yes.
Are we allowing room for these types of players or is get the best you can at the present time?
A: I think they have an idea of who might go into the portal, so, while they’re definitely interested in some guys currently out there, they’re also keeping some powder dry.
Basketball:
The Purdue game it seemed the offense was better, more plays and movement. Is there more of that to come?
A: If you’re expecting me to figure this offense out, buddy, I can’t help you. Every time I think I’ve got it sorted out, something destroys the theory.
What percentages should we be expecting from the field? 50% 2s 40% 3s 85% FT
What are your thoughts on this? (Spar2cus)
A: If they can hit those numbers, they’re a Final Four team. I’m not joking. Those are pretty stout totals, and I don’t think they’ll get anywhere near them. If they go 45% from 2, 35% from 3 and 75% at the line, they’re dangerous to anyone.
Q: Will any of the SEC refs be hitting the portal or are they all moving to Austin? (Hudedwards)
A: I think my feelings on SEC officials are pretty well known by now. Hopefully they’ll all take a hike, but I’m not holding my breath.
Q: What can you tell us about football practice this week and next? When do they leave for fabulous (sarcasm) Vegas?
A: I happen to love Vegas. Tread lightly. They will get there the 22nd, and they’re having regular practices right now.
Do you think O'Neil will get significant playing time in the game? I would really like to see him get that time.
A: N-O.
With a one year QB coming in, Reed, O'Neil, and two behind them, do all of them go into the fall with the team? (DentonAg80)
A: Y-E-S.
Q: How do you feel about A&Ms chances for the Purdue DL and the Western Kentucky DE?
A: It’s the portal, so you’re never sure, but I think they’ve got a good shot for both until someone tells me otherwise.
Are there new DL entries into the portal that A&M might target? (Ag20)
A: There will be.
