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Here's this week's AggieYell Mailbag:
Q: In your opinion what is wrong with our baseball team? (GCJC)
A: right now, a little bit of everything. They’re not hitting, they’re banged up, they can’t field and the bullpen has been terrible (though there are signs of improvement there). I think their confidence has been shaken, but it only takes one weekend and a few bats that you know will hit to wake up for things to improve.
Q: Do you think a move is forthcoming with the women’s basketball coach? (Naytch)
A: I would be kind of surprised if there wasn’t. This wasn’t a bad season, it was awful and seemed like a regression. Dead last and getting worse is not a positive sign.
Q: Can you provide some specifics on how Playfly benefits A&M and vice versa? Maybe a couple examples of what it might look like in action?
The press release said a bunch of words that didn’t explain anything. Or I’m a moron, which is possible. (Colt_Seavers)
A: pretty easy to see how it benefits A&M — they get a boatload of guaranteed cash. Playfly intends to open up new marketing and advertising avenues for A&M, and they’d get a solid chunk of the revenue from that. At least, that’s what I got out of it.
Q: In your opinion, Could you please rank the SEC quaterbacks for 2025? (Geb)
A: man, that’s tough. I’ll give it a shot, but we don’t know who will start in a couple places.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Arch Manning, Texas
Marcel Reed, A&M
DJ Lagway, Florida
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Taylen Green, Arkansas
Blake Shapen, Mississippi State
Jackson Arnold, Auburn
Ty Simpson, Alabama
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Austin Simmons, Ole Miss
Zach Calzada, Kentucky
Beau Pribula, Missouri
Now, some explanation here. This is based on individual talent, not the supporting cast. Otherwise, Manning would be higher and Pavia and Sellers lower. And maybe I’m hard on Manning, but I want to see it fulltime as a starter before I anoint him the second coming. Nussmeier was the best for most of last year and I don’t see that changing, though his line will make things tougher. Sellers is improving as a passer and is a brute as a runner. Mateer was great at Washington State. I expect big things from Reed. Lagway should make a jump. I’m not impressed with Iamaleava or Green to this point. Shapen was off to a great start last year before getting hurt. The rest of the bunch can be shuffled and I wouldn’t argue. There’s too much unknown.
Q: 1. I'm torn on Buzz as a basketball coach. You can't deny he's done better than almost any other Aggie coach, but that's not much of a measuring stick. What do you think his ceiling is now and in the future?
A: I think his ceiling can be an Elite 8 or Final Four team. He’s gotten that far (Elite Eight) before, but he needs to find a way to recruit more offense.
2. Zack Martin just retired as a 7-time All Pro in an 11 year career with the Cowboys. Thank God, someone talked Jerrah out of drafting Johnny instead of Zac. No question, just a comment...
3. What seed do you see the basketball team eventually getting in the tournament? How much of a factor was last night's historic win over #1?
A: Right now, I think they’re a 3. A good run in the SEC Tournament and maybe they’re a two. But I think they’re pretty much locked in around the 3-4 range right now. But we are talking about the NCAA, and they have screwed A&M in the past, so...
4. In a perfect world, where Mark is Texas A&M's athletic director, what one thing would you do first?
A: Give myself a pay raise. Just kidding. I think I’d prioritize the Olsen renovations and start looking at how to renovate Reed Arena.
5. How'd the MRI go?? (tsip despiser)
A: Not so hot. Apparently, I have a compressed spinal cord and will be meeting with a neurosurgeon in a couple of weeks. But nothing in the brain.
Q: So far how would you grade and assess the job Trev Albert has done as the athletic director so far?
I’m not impressed but maybe the answer is incomplete, would love your thoughts. (Maroon1)
A: I’m not quite sure what he was supposed to do at this point. He’s done a fair amount, but a lot of it is behind the scenes. He clinched the massive Playfly deal, and he’s one of the few ADs involved in the NIL settlement negotiations with Congress. Ironically, former A&M AD Ross Bjork is one of the others involved.
Alberts got screwed over by Jim Schlossnagle, who clearly was the snake in that scenario. Maybe Alberts can be criticized for not seeing the duplicity involved, but that’s it. The Olsen renovations are well-funded. Nearly all of the major programs are in good shape. The only one that isn’t, Women’s basketball, may be where he has to make his first coaching decision.
So I’d give him a B+ to this point.
Q: Any guess on when Caden Sorrell is back? (naytch)
A: Hopefully soon, because they clearly miss him.
Q: here do you put (Sorrell) right out of the gate? Does he return to the field or do you insert him into the DH slot? (HeadleyG2)
A: If he’s healthy enough to play, it’s beause he’s healthy enough to play in the outfield. Hayden Schott is pretty much locked in at DH.
Q: Baseball team - are they pressing or something deeper causing the issues? (AggieinDC)
A: I think they’re largely pressing, but some of the moves they made just didn’t fit and they’ve had to shuffle as a result. And the bullpen has been a real problem, even though they might be getting some clarity there.
Q: What are your thoughts about the basketball team being able to maintain the focus and intensity (and almost respectable shooting percentages) they showed against Auburn? Does it have to be Senior Night at a sold-out Reed for that to happen? (BattalionEx)
A: They played that game like it was a tournament game. High intensity throughout, diving for every loose ball and effort through the roof. I think that, from here on out, they need to approach every game with that much importance, because they’re getting pretty close to that being the case.
And, unfortunately, Reed wasn’t sold out. They were 600 people short of a sellout, and Auburn coach Bruce Pearl cooked the A&M fanbase for it. I wish I could say he was wrong. That place should have been over-filled.
Q: How do you feel about Coach Early’s first couple of weeks and the adjustments he is making?
A: I think he’s experiencing some growing pains and he’s had to adapt because some of the plans they all offseason haven’t worked (Kash in left, the platoon at first). Losing Grahovac hurt continuity and forced a big lineup change. They need to get Sorrell back and get the bullpen calmed down. And, most importantly, they need to field the bleepin’ baseball.
Can this team meet our preseason objectives? (Smasher200)
A: Yeah, if they can get healthy and have a couple of arms perform the way they hoped they would.
Q: How far does our basketball team go in the tournament? (CheekySchneider)
A: Which team shows up? The team that played Auburn and beat them can take out anyone. But the team that laid an egg against Vandy could be a first round out.
Q: As a coach known for his reputation as a defensive guru, how significant are the hurdles after last season's results in convincing defensive recruits that 2024 will not be the norm?
Yes, the product on the field this fall can go a long way in settling those concerns, but what does he say or do between now and then to bring in talent and keep it? (Reckless75)
A: I’d tell them to look at the track record and the guys he’s put in the NFL. I’d also note that he’s going to have three guys drafted in the first three rounds in spite of it being an off year. Explain the schematic changes that are happening, your personal involvement and tell them to watch what happens.
Q: Is upper A&M administration accessible for questions or concerns from the media which you represent? (wick)
A: Like Trev Alberts? Probably. President Welsh? Almost certainly no.
Q: Is the Electromagnetic Pulse research at A&M nearing a level to where that technology may be used to adjust the attitude of certain SEC officials during athletic contests? (Reckless75)
A: Microwaves may be more effective than EMP.
